Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Test Geometry, Permittivity Matching and Metal Particles on the Flashover Voltage of Oil/Solid Interfaces

The 60 Hz and lightning impulse flashover voltages of various pressboards, polyethylene and polypropylene in transformer oil were studied. Except for one discrepancy the two widely different test geometries used generally grade the materials in the same order. It is concluded that the difference between materials is due to different discharge propagation properties, and that the propagation is assisted by permittivity mismatch between liquid and solid. Surface structure can also affect the flashover, especially at impulse voltages. At 50 Hz the introduction of solid surfaces can increase the flashover voltage. Metal particles on the interface can reduce average values of the flashover voltage by at least 20 percent and minimum values even more.
Mechanosensitive PPAP2B Regulates Endothelial Responses to Atherorelevant Hemodynamic Forces.

RATIONALE PhosPhatidic Acid Phosphatase type 2B (PPAP2B), an integral membrane protein known as lipid phosphate phosphatase (LPP3) that inactivates lysophosphatidic acid, was implicated in coronary artery disease (CAD) by genome-wide association studies. However, it is unclear whether genome-wide association studies-identified coronary artery disease genes, including PPAP2B, participate in mechanotransduction mechanisms by which vascular endothelia respond to local atherorelevant hemodynamics that contribute to the regional nature of atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE To establish the critical role of PPAP2B in endothelial responses to hemodynamics. METHODS AND RESULTS Reduced PPAP2B was detected in vivo in mouse and swine aortic arch (AA) endothelia exposed to chronic disturbed flow, and in mouse carotid artery endothelia subjected to surgically induced acute disturbed flow. In humans, PPAP2B was reduced in the downstream part of carotid plaques where low shear stress prevails. In culture, reduced PPAP2B was measured in human aortic endothelial cells under atherosusceptible waveform mimicking flow in human carotid sinus. Flow-sensitive microRNA-92a and transcription factor KLF2 were identified as upstream inhibitor and activator of endothelial PPAP2B, respectively. PPAP2B suppression abrogated atheroprotection of unidirectional flow; inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 restored the flow-dependent, anti-inflammatory phenotype in PPAP2B-deficient cells. PPAP2B inhibition resulted in myosin light-chain phosphorylation and intercellular gaps, which were abolished by lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1/2 inhibition. Expression quantitative trait locus mapping demonstrated PPAP2B coronary artery disease risk allele is not linked to PPAP2B expression in various human tissues but significantly associated with reduced PPAP2B in human aortic endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS Atherorelevant flows dynamically modulate endothelial PPAP2B expression through miR-92a and KLF2. Mechanosensitive PPAP2B plays a critical role in promoting anti-inflammatory phenotype and maintaining vascular integrity of endothelial monolayer under atheroprotective flow.
An evaluation of AES and present ciphers for lightweight cryptography on smartphones

In this work we present a study that evaluates and compares two block ciphers, AES and PRESENT, in the context of lightweight cryptography for smartphones security applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comparison between these ciphers using a smartphone as computing platform. AES is the standard for symmetric encryption and PRESENT is one of the first ultra-lightweight ciphers proposed in the literature and included in the ISO/IEC 29192-2. In our study, we consider execution time, voltage consumption and memory usage as metrics for comparison purposes. The two block ciphers were evaluated through several experiments in a low-cost smartphone using Android built in tools. From the results we conclude that, for general purpose encryption AES performs statistically better although block-to-block PRESENT delivers better results.
Neural bases of autobiographical support for episodic recollection of faces

Incidental retrieval of autobiographical knowledge can provide rich contextual support for episodic recollection of a recent event. We examined the neural bases of these two processes by performing fMRI scanning during a recognition memory test for faces that were unfamiliar, famous, or personally known. The presence of pre‐experimental knowledge of a face was incidental to the task, but nonetheless resulted in improved performance. Two distinct networks of activation were associated with correct recollection of a face's prior presentation (recollection hits vs. correct rejections) on one hand, and with pre‐experimental knowledge about it (famous or personally known vs. unfamiliar faces) on the other. The former included mid/posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and ventral striatum. The latter included bilateral hippocampus, retrosplenial, and ventromedial prefrontal cortices. Anterior and medial thalamic activations showed an interaction between both effects, driven by increased activation for recollection of unfamiliar faces. When recollecting the presentation of a famous or personally known face, hippocampal activation increased with participants' ratings of how well they felt they knew the person shown. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex showed significantly greater activation for personally known than famous faces. Our results indicate a dissociation between the involvement of retrosplenial vs. mid/posterior cingulate and precuneus in memory tasks. They also indicate that, during recognition memory experiments, the hippocampus supports incidental retrieval of pre‐experimental knowledge about the stimuli presented. This type of knowledge likely underlies the additional recollection found for prior presentation of well known stimuli compared with novel ones and may link hippocampal activation at encoding to subsequent memory performance more generally. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
H.264 fast intra mode selection algorithm based on direction difference measure in the pixel domain

In this paper, a fast mode decision algorithm for Intra prediction in the H.264/AVC is proposed. We use the characteristics of each directional prediction mode to compute the strength of directional differences in the original pixel domain to find the minimal direction error. This is the first time reported in the literature that the intrinsic differences between the real-data and the predictors of modes are used to form an algorithm for mode decision. The approach allows us to select several better candidate modes for evaluation instead of using the full search. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve more than 80% reduction in computation with negligible degradation in rate-distortion performance, and the results are better than other algorithms available in the literature.
The Propagation and Amplification of Surface Waves

The observation of surface waves from cross-correlations of ambient noise has proven to be an invaluable tool for the recovery of seismic travel times. Such techniques allow the construction of 3D velocity models and subsequent geologic interpretations in regions where tomography would otherwise be difficult due to the paucity of seismicity and short seismic array deployment times. One such model is developed here for offshore southern California using an array of Ocean Bottom Seismometers to better understand the tectonic history of the region. However, for accurate hazard evaluation, characterizations of the spatial variability of ground motion amplitudes are also desired. Unfortunately, the amplitudes from noise cross-correlations are systematically biased by the spatial-, frequency- and temporal variability of noise sources. We demonstrate in this thesis that an ambient-noise based wavefront tracking technique using an array of stations can recover site-amplification and attenuation estimates successfully and robustly. This is applied on two different scales: to a very dense array of more than 5,000 geophones in the city of Long Beach, CA, and in a broader, continental scale to instruments from the USArray. Finally, we discuss the propagation of surface waves in relation to seismic hazard and site characterization. We point out that the amplitude response and peak frequency of ground motion will be different for a given site, depending on the type of wave being considered. This work should be considered by any future seismic hazard evaluation where surface waves may cause damage.
Paraoxonase 1 and oxidative stress in paediatric non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis

Non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in children is a significant public health concern. Oxidative stress is an important component in the pathophysiology of NASH. Several enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms protect the liver from oxidative injury. Examination of the expression of these enzymes in NASH livers may provide insight on the roles for these antioxidant mechanisms in the pathophysiology of NASH.
Cone photoreceptor types in zebrafish are generated by symmetric terminal divisions of dedicated precursors

Significance Color vision requires multiple types of cone photoreceptors, each with peak sensitivity to a specific wavelength. How different cone types are generated in vivo is not clear. We show that there are precursor cells individually dedicated to producing a single cone type. We tracked cone genesis in vivo in transgenic zebrafish in which red cones and their progenitors express fluorescent protein driven by the thyroid hormone receptor β2 promoter. We discovered that red cones are generated by symmetric terminal divisions of a red-cone precursor. Moreover, UV, blue, and green cones also have their own dedicated precursors. Thyroid hormone receptor β2 expression in cone precursors is required to produce pure red cones, whereas expression after cell division results in cones with mixed opsins. Proper functioning of sensory systems requires the generation of appropriate numbers and proportions of neuronal subtypes that encode distinct information. Perception of color relies on signals from multiple cone photoreceptor types. In cone-dominated retinas, each cone expresses a single opsin type with peak sensitivity to UV, long (L) (red), medium (M) (green), or short (S) (blue) wavelengths. The modes of cell division generating distinct cone types are unknown. We report here a mechanism whereby zebrafish cone photoreceptors of the same type are produced by symmetric division of dedicated precursors. Transgenic fish in which the thyroid hormone receptor β2 (trβ2) promoter drives fluorescent protein expression before L-cone precursors themselves are produced permitted tracking of their division in vivo. Every L cone in a local region resulted from the terminal division of an L-cone precursor, suggesting that such divisions contribute significantly to L-cone production. Analysis of the fate of isolated pairs of cones and time-lapse observations suggest that other cone types can also arise by symmetric terminal divisions. Such divisions of dedicated precursors may help to rapidly attain the final numbers and proportions of cone types (L > M, UV > S) in zebrafish larvae. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments show that L-opsin expression requires trβ2 activity before cone differentiation. Ectopic expression of trβ2 after cone differentiation produces cones with mixed opsins. Temporal differences in the onset of trβ2 expression could explain why some species have mixed, and others have pure, cone types.
Carbon Detonation and Shock-Triggered Helium Burning in Neutron Star Superbursts

The strong degeneracy of the 12C ignition layer on an accreting neutron star results in a hydrodynamic thermonuclear runaway, in which the nuclear heating time becomes shorter than the local dynamical time. We model the resulting combustion wave during these superbursts as an upward-propagating detonation. We solve the reactive fluid flow and show that the detonation propagates through the deepest layers of fuel and drives a shock wave that steepens as it travels upward into lower density material. The shock is sufficiently strong on reaching the freshly accreted H/He layer that it triggers unstable 4He burning if the superburst occurs during the latter half of the regular type I bursting cycle; this is likely the origin of the bright type I precursor bursts observed at the onset of superbursts. The cooling of the outermost shock-heated layers produces a bright, ≈0.1 s, flash that precedes the type I burst by a few seconds; this may be the origin of the spike seen at the burst onset in 4U 1820-30 and 4U 1636-54, the only two bursts observed with RXTE at high time resolution. The dominant products of the 12C detonation are 28Si, 32S, and 36Ar. Gupta et al. showed that a crust composed of such intermediate-mass elements has a larger heat flux than one composed of iron-peak elements and helps bring the superburst ignition depth into better agreement with values inferred from observations.
Characterization of three-dimensional cancer cell migration in mixed collagen-Matrigel scaffolds using microfluidics and image analysis

Microfluidic devices are becoming mainstream tools to recapitulate in vitro the behavior of cells and tissues. In this study, we use microfluidic devices filled with hydrogels of mixed collagen-Matrigel composition to study the migration of lung cancer cells under different cancer invasion microenvironments. We present the design of the microfluidic device, characterize the hydrogels morphologically and mechanically and use quantitative image analysis to measure the migration of H1299 lung adenocarcinoma cancer cells in different experimental conditions. Our results show the plasticity of lung cancer cell migration, which turns from mesenchymal in collagen only matrices, to lobopodial in collagen-Matrigel matrices that approximate the interface between a disrupted basement membrane and the underlying connective tissue. Our quantification of migration speed confirms a biphasic role of Matrigel. At low concentration, Matrigel facilitates migration, most probably by providing a supportive and growth factor retaining environment. At high concentration, Matrigel slows down migration, possibly due excessive attachment. Finally, we show that antibody-based integrin blockade promotes a change in migration phenotype from mesenchymal or lobopodial to amoeboid and analyze the effect of this change in migration dynamics, in regards to the structure of the matrix. In summary, we describe and characterize a robust microfluidic platform and a set of software tools that can be used to study lung cancer cell migration under different microenvironments and experimental conditions. This platform could be used in future studies, thus benefitting from the advantages introduced by microfluidic devices: precise control of the environment, excellent optical properties, parallelization for high throughput studies and efficient use of therapeutic drugs.
Set Partitioning via Inclusion-Exclusion

Given a set $N$ with $n$ elements and a family $\mathcal{F}$ of subsets, we show how to partition $N$ into $k$ such subsets in $2^n n^{O(1)}$ time. We also consider variations of this problem where the subsets may overlap or are weighted, and we solve the decision, counting, summation, and optimization versions of these problems. Our algorithms are based on the principle of inclusion-exclusion and the zeta transform. In effect we get exact algorithms in $2^n n^{O(1)}$ time for several well-studied partition problems including domatic number, chromatic number, maximum $k$-cut, bin packing, list coloring, and the chromatic polynomial. We also have applications to Bayesian learning with decision graphs and to model-based data clustering. If only polynomial space is available, our algorithms run in time $3^n n^{O(1)}$ if membership in $\mathcal{F}$ can be decided in polynomial time. We solve chromatic number in $O(2.2461^n)$ time and domatic number in $O(2.8718^n)$ time. Finally, we present a family of polynomial space approximation algorithms that find a number between $\chi(G)$ and $\lceil(1+\epsilon)\chi(G)\rceil$ in time $O(1.2209^n+2.2461^{e^{-\epsilon}n})$.
Intracranial volume–pressure relationships during experimental brain compression in primates

In eight anaesthetized, ventilated adult baboons, the intracranial volume–pressure response was examined at differing levels of raised intracranial pressure during induced changes in systemic arterial pressure and cerebral blood flow. The volume–pressure response is defined as the change in ventricular fluid pressure caused by a volume addition of 0·05 ml to the lateral ventricle. At normal intracranial pressure, the volume–pressure response was unchanged by alterations in systemic arterial pressure and cerebral blood flow. At raised intracranial pressure, however, systemic arterial hypertension rendered the intracranial contents more sensitive to the effects of an addition to the ventricular volume as shown by an increased volume–pressure response. When intracranial pressure was increased, there was a significant linear correlation between the volume–pressure response and both arterial pressure and cerebral blood flow. The clinical implication of this phenomenon is that arterial hypertension in patients with increased intracranial pressure is likely to have a deleterious effect by increasing brain tightness.
Linear enamel hypoplasia and historical change in a central Australian community.

BACKGROUND The current study extends the use of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) to examine the historical changes in living conditions encountered by Aboriginal people at Yuendumu who were born between 1890 and 1960. LEH provides health information beyond written records and gives information beyond written records and gives insight into the relationship between individual health and living conditions during initial and ongoing contact with Europeans. MATERIALS AND METHODS The dental casts of 446 people, collected as part of the University of Adelaide longitudinal study of growth and development, were recorded for the presence of hypoplastic defects. Defects were recorded according to the Development Defects of the Enamel (DDE) standards and assigned to developmental units based on their crown position. RESULTS The frequency of LEH on the permanent dentitions increased five-fold from the 1890-1929 birth cohort to the 1955-1960 cohort. LEH also affected earlier developing enamel units. Deciduous defects did not show a strong temporal trend but overall prevalence was comparable to other disadvantaged groups. CONCLUSION The changes in permanent LEH frequency and age distribution correspond to altered living conditions with the worst hypoplasia recorded after settlement of Aboriginal people at Yuendumu. Prior to that period LEH was comparable to precontact Australian populations indicating that resettlement had a dramatic impact on childhood morbidity.
Deep low‐frequency earthquakes in tectonic tremor along the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone

We characterize and locate tremor not associated with volcanoes along the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone using continuous seismic data recorded by the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the Alaska Earthquake Information Center from 2005 to present. Visual inspection of waveform spectra and time series reveal dozens of 10 to 20 min bursts of tremor along the length of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone. We use autocorrelation to demonstrate that these tremor signals are composed of hundreds of repeating low‐frequency earthquakes (LFEs). The tremor activity we characterize is localized in four segments, from east to west: Kodiak Island, Shumagin Gap, Unalaska, and Andreanof Islands. Although the geometry, age, thermal structure, frictional, and other relevant properties of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone are poorly known, these characteristics are likely to differ systematically from east to west. Locations near Kodiak Island are the most reliable because station coverage is more complete. LFE hypocenters in this region are located on the plate interface near the down‐dip limit of the 1964 Mw 9.2 Alaska earthquake rupture area. LFE hypocenters in the remaining areas along the arc are also located down‐dip of the most recent Mw 8+ megathrust earthquakes. Although these locations are less well constrained, our results support the hypothesis that tremor activity marks the down‐dip rupture limit for great megathrust earthquakes in this subduction zone. Lastly, there is no correlation between the presence of tremor and particular aspects of over‐riding or subducting plate geology or coupling. It appears that LFEs are a fundamental characteristic of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone.
Hypothyroidism during neonatal and perinatal period induced by thyroidectomy of the mother causes depressive-like behavior in prepubertal rats

The objective of this study was to see if neonatal and perinatal hypothyroidism caused anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. Twenty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: 1) thyroidectomy caused hypothyroidism, in which the thyroid gland had been removed and the parathyroid reimplanted; and 2) false thyroidectomy. The thyroidectomy was made on rats anesthetized with ketamine-xylazine. The rats were mated and one day after giving birth, eight pups were assigned to each group randomly and they were distributed into two groups: a hypothyroid group containing male pups of a hypothyroid mother with a hypothyroid wet nurse; and a euthyroid group of male pups of a euthyroid mother with a euthyroid wet nurse. We analyzed the behavioral test at a prepubertal age. The neonatal and perinatal hypothyroidism caused by the mother’s thyroidectomy caused a decrease in body weight and length. We found that the neonatal and perinatal hypothyroidism enhanced the total exploratory activity without affecting social contact and the time spent in the open and closed arms in an elevated plus-maze. The hypothyroidism caused immobility without altering the lower climbing duration in the swimming test. This study shows a novel model to cause neonatal and perinatal hypothyroidism without using pharmacological drugs. We demonstrated that hypothyroid animals had a reduction in body weight and length, a retardation of neurodevelopment, and they had depressive-like behavior.
Cysteinyl leukotrienes are secretagogues in atrophic coeliac and in normal duodenal mucosa of children

Objective The pathophysiology of intestinal inflammation and diarrhoea is complex and involves the arachidonic acid cascade. Prostaglandins induce chloride secretion in healthy subjects and in patients with coeliac disease. Leukotrienes (LTs) are also known inflammatory mediators which have been shown to stimulate ion secretion in ileum and colon of rats and rabbits. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of leukotrienes C4 (LTC4) and D4 (LTD4) in normal and atrophic intestinal mucosa in children. Material and methods Routine paediatric intestinal biopsies were obtained from 109 children. Sixty-seven control biopsies and 42 biopsies from children with different stages of coeliac disease were mounted in a modified Ussing chamber. Potential difference (Pd) was measured continuously and tissue resistance (Rt) and the generated current (Im) were calculated. Results In morphologically normal mucosa of duodenum, LTC4 and LTD4 increased Pd and Im in a dose-dependent manner. The increase was more pronounced in the distal than in the proximal part, similar to the response to prostaglandin E2. The induced current was chloride-mediated, since replacement of Cl− with SO42− in the bathing solution eliminated the response to the LTs. The LTC4-induced secretion was significantly decreased in atrophic mucosa, but the response was partially restored after preincubation with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. Conclusions The results showed that LTC4 and LTD4 are secretagogues in the duodenal mucosa from healthy children by inducing a net chloride secretion. Restoration of the response in coeliac disease by cyclooxygenase inhibition suggests interactions between the different pathways of the arachidonic cascade in the intestinal mucosa.