Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Fidelity Multi-Objective Design Optimization of a Downscaled Cusped Field Thruster

The Cusped Field Thruster (CFT) concept has demonstrated significantly improved performance over the Hall Effect Thruster and the Gridded Ion Thruster; however, little is understood about the complexities of the interactions and interdependencies of the geometrical, magnetic and ion beam properties of the thruster. This study applies an advanced design methodology combining a modified power distribution calculation and evolutionary algorithms assisted by surrogate modeling to a multi-objective design optimization for the performance optimization and characterization of the CFT. Optimization is performed for maximization of performance defined by five design parameters (i.e., anode voltage, anode current, mass flow rate, and magnet radii), simultaneously aiming to maximize three objectives; that is, thrust, efficiency and specific impulse. Statistical methods based on global sensitivity analysis are employed to assess the optimization results in conjunction with surrogate models to identify key design factors with respect to the three design objectives and additional performance measures. The research indicates that the anode current and the Outer Magnet Radius have the greatest effect on the performance parameters. An optimal value for the anode current is determined, and a trend towards maximizing anode potential and mass flow rate is observed.
Influence of frost on the bond between steel and concrete

One of the severe types of deterioration in concrete structures is associated with the volume expansion of concrete caused by freezing and thawing of concrete. Frost damage in concrete is caused by the volume expansion of freezing water in the concrete pore system. Thereby, tensile stresses are initiated and micro and macro-cracks are introduced into the concrete body, which leads to a type of severe damage known as internal frost damage. This mechanism not only affects the material properties of concrete such as tensile and compressive strength and elastic modulus of concrete, but also, influences the bond strength between the reinforcement and surrounding concrete in damaged regions.
CD11chi Dendritic Cells Regulate the Re-establishment of Vascular Quiescence and Stabilization after Immune Stimulation of Lymph Nodes

Lymph node expansion during immune responses is accompanied by rapid vascular expansion. The re-establishment of quiescence and stabilization of the newly expanded vasculature and the regulatory mechanisms involved have not been well studied. We show that although initiation of vascular expansion in immune-stimulated nodes is associated with upregulated endothelial cell proliferation, increased high endothelial venule trafficking efficiency and VCAM-1 expression, and disrupted perivascular fibroblastic reticular cell organization, the re-establishment of vascular quiescence and stabilization postexpansion is characterized by reversal of these phenomena. Although CD11cmed cells are associated with the initiation of vascular expansion, CD11chiMHC class II (MHC II)med dendritic cells (DCs) accumulate later, and their short-term depletion in mice abrogates the re-establishment of vascular quiescence and stabilization. CD11chiMHC IImed cells promote endothelial cell quiescence in vitro and, in vivo, mediate quiescence at least in part by mediating reduced lymph node vascular endothelial growth factor. Disrupted vascular quiescence and stabilization in expanded nodes is associated with attenuated T cell-dependent B cell responses. These results describe a novel mechanism whereby CD11chiMHC IImed DCs regulate the re-establishment of vascular quiescence and stabilization after lymph node vascular expansion and suggest that these DCs function in part to orchestrate the microenvironmental alterations required for successful immunity.
With or without you: Effects of the concurrent range expansion of an herbivore and its natural enemy on native species interactions

Global climatic changes may lead to the arrival of multiple range‐expanding species from different trophic levels into new habitats, either simultaneously or in quick succession, potentially causing the introduction of manifold novel interactions into native food webs. Unraveling the complex biotic interactions between native and range‐expanding species is critical to understand the impact of climate change on community ecology, but experimental evidence is lacking. In a series of laboratory experiments that simulated direct and indirect species interactions, we investigated the effects of the concurrent arrival of a range‐expanding insect herbivore in Europe, Spodoptera littoralis, and its associated parasitoid Microplitis rufiventris, on the native herbivore Mamestra brassicae, and its associated parasitoid Microplitis mediator, when co‐occurring on a native plant, Brassica rapa. Overall, direct interactions between the herbivores were beneficial for the exotic herbivore (higher pupal weight than the native herbivore), and negative for the native herbivore (higher mortality than the exotic herbivore). At the third trophic level, both parasitoids were unable to parasitize the herbivore they did not coexist with, but the presence of the exotic parasitoid still negatively affected the native herbivore (increased mortality) and the native parasitoid (decreased parasitism rate), through failed parasitism attempts and interference effects. Our results suggest different interaction scenarios depending on whether S. littoralis and its parasitoid arrive to the native tritrophic system separately or concurrently, as the negative effects associated with the presence of the parasitoid were dependent on the presence of the exotic herbivore. These findings illustrate the complexity and interconnectedness of multitrophic changes resulting from concurrent species arrival to new environments, and the need for integrating the ecological effects of such arrivals into the general theoretical framework of global invasion patterns driven by climatic change.
Dependability of Data Derived From Time Sampling Methods With Multiple Observation Targets

In this study, generalizability theory was used to examine the extent to which (a) time-sampling methodology, (b) number of simultaneous behavior targets, and (c) individual raters influenced variance in ratings of academic engagement for an elementary-aged student. Ten graduate-student raters, with an average of 7.20 hr of previous training in systematic direct observation and 58.20 hr of previous direct observation experience, scored 6 videos of student behavior using 12 different time-sampling protocols. Five videos were submitted for analysis, and results for observations using momentary time-sampling and whole-interval recording suggested that the majority of variance was attributable to the rating occasion, although results for partial-interval recording generally demonstrated large residual components comparable with those seen in prior research. Dependability coefficients were above . 80 when averaging across 1 to 2 raters using momentary time-sampling, and 2 to 3 raters using whole-interval recording. Ratings derived from partial-interval recording needed to be averaged over 3 to 7 raters to demonstrate dependability coefficients above . 80.
Bacterial Seed Endophytes of Domesticated Cucurbits Antagonize Fungal and Oomycete Pathogens Including Powdery Mildew

The cucurbit vegetables, including cucumbers, melons and pumpkins, have been cultivated for thousands of years without fungicides. However, their seed germination stage is prone to be infected by soil-borne fungal and oomycete pathogens. Endophytes are symbionts that reside inside plant tissues including seeds. Seed endophytes are founders of the juvenile plant microbiome and can promote host defense at seed germination and later stages. We previously isolated 169 bacterial endophytes associated with seeds of diverse cultivated cucurbits. We hypothesized that these endophytes can antagonize major fungal and oomycete pathogens. Here we tested the endophytes for in vitro antagonism (dual culture assays) against important soil-borne pathogens (Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium graminearum, Phytophthora capsici, Pythium aphanidermatum). The endophytes were also assayed in planta (leaf disk and detached leaf bioassays) for antagonism against a foliar pathogen of global importance, Podosphaera fuliginea, the causative agent of cucurbit powdery mildew. The endophytes were further tested in vitro for secretion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) known to induce plant defense. Extracellular ribonuclease activity was also tested, as a subset of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins of plant hosts implicated in suppression of fungal pathogens, displays ribonuclease activity. An unexpected majority of the endophytes (70%, 118/169) exhibited antagonism to the five phytopathogens, of which 68% (50/73) of in vitro antagonists belong to the genera Bacillus and Paenibacillus. All Lactococcus and Pantoea endophytes exhibited anti-oomycete activity. However, amongst the most effective inoculants against Podosphaera fuliginea were Pediococcus and Pantoea endophytes. Interestingly, 67% (113/169) of endophytes emitted host defense inducing VOCs (acetoin/diacetyl) and 62% (104/169) secreted extracellular ribonucleases in vitro, respectively. These results show that seeds of cultivated cucurbits package microbes with significant disease-suppression potential. As seeds can act as vectors for genetic transmission of endophytes across host generations, it is interesting to hypothesize whether humans, when selecting seeds of healthy hosts, may have inadvertently selected for disease-suppressing seed endophytes. As the majority of pathogen-suppressing endophytes belong to Bacillus and Paenibacillus, and since Bacilli are widely used as commercial biocontrol agents of vegetables, we propose that these agents are mimicking the ecological niche established by their endophytic cousins.
Atlantoaxial tuberculosis: Outcome analysis

Background: Tuberculous (TB) spondylitis occurs in <1% of patients with TB. Atlantoaxial involvement is extremely rare amounting to 0.3%–1% cases of TB spondylitis. The management of this entity has been fluctuating with time. Various classifications and management protocols have also evolved. We present our experience in managing this entity in 8 patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospective follow-up study of eight patients with atlantoaxial TB over 2 years. They ranged in age from 14 to 33 years with male preponderance. Four required surgical intervention on initial presentation, 2 were successfully treated conservatively, and 2 had to undergo surgery after a trial of conservative management. All of them were started on antituberculous therapy (ATT) for 18 months. Patients were followed up for 8–29 months. Results: Neck pain and restriction of neck movements were standard presenting features. All patients had pulmonary TB confirmed by sputum examination. Radiological investigations formed an integral part of the evaluation of disease, treatment plan, and prognosis. Improvement in symptoms has been documented in all eight. Conclusion: The involvement of the most mobile spinal segment and the potential cervicomedullary compression makes it a disease of utmost importance. Although ATT remains the mainstay of treatment, surgical intervention is needed for stabilizing the joint and decompressing the cervicomedullary junction. Strict adherence to medical advice and optimum surgical intervention tailored for each patient results in the successful management of the disease.
Contractile response and mitral regurgitation after temporary interruption of long-term cardiac resynchronization therapy.

AIMS Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) utilizing biventricular pacing (BVP) is a promising treatment modality for symptomatic patients with chronic left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and intraventricular conduction delay. Clinical studies have shown short-term improvement in contractile function and mid-term improvement in clinical status with CRT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the haemodynamic consequences of temporary interruption of CRT after long-term stimulation. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty patients (16 men, 4 women) with LV dysfunction and New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure, despite optimal medical therapy and a QRS interval of at least 120 ms, received a transvenous BVP system at the age of 66 (interquartile range, 61-69). Patients were studied after a median duration of 427 days (interquartile range, 281-563) of continuous CRT and again 72 h after cessation of BVP. Withdrawal of CRT resulted in a significant decline in maximal rate of LV systolic pressure rise from 711 mmHg/s (interquartile range, 640-816) to 442 mmHg/s (interquartile range, 389-582) (P=0.0001) and increases in mitral effective regurgitant orifice area from 4.8 mm(2) (interquartile range, 0.0-7.8) to 9.1 mm(2) (interquartile range, 5.7-13.3) (P=0.0001), mitral regurgitant volume from 7.8 mL (interquartile range, 0.0-11.5) to 16.0 mL (interquartile range, 10.7-20.8) (P=0.0001) and fraction from 13.8% (interquartile range, 0.0-19.2) to 27.7% (interquartile range, 14.6-34.0) (P=0.0002) determined by Doppler echocardiography. CONCLUSION Cessation of long-term BVP leads to a decline in LV systolic performance and an increase in functional mitral regurgitation. These results indicate a sustained benefit of long-term CRT and support the notion to maintain CRT indefinitely.
The Multirole of Liposomes in Therapy and Prevention of Infectious Diseases

Liposomes are closed bilayer structures spontaneously formed by hydrated phospholipids that are widely used as efficient delivery systems for drugs or antigens, due to their capability to encapsulate bioactive hydrophilic, amphipathic, and lipophilic molecules into inner water phase or within lipid leaflets. The efficacy of liposomes as drug or antigen carriers has been improved in the last years to ameliorate pharmacokinetics and capacity to release their cargo in selected target organs or cells. Moreover, different formulations and variations in liposome composition have been often proposed to include immunostimulatory molecules, ligands for specific receptors, or stimuli responsive compounds. Intriguingly, independent research has unveiled the capacity of several phospholipids to play critical roles as intracellular messengers in modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses through various mechanisms, including (i) activation of different antimicrobial enzymatic pathways, (ii) driving the fusion–fission events between endosomes with direct consequences to phagosome maturation and/or to antigen presentation pathway, and (iii) modulation of the inflammatory response. These features can be exploited by including selected bioactive phospholipids in the bilayer scaffold of liposomes. This would represent an important step forward since drug or antigen carrying liposomes could be engineered to simultaneously activate different signal transduction pathways and target specific cells or tissues to induce antigen-specific T and/or B cell response. This lipid-based host-directed strategy can provide a focused antimicrobial innate and adaptive immune response against specific pathogens and offer a novel prophylactic or therapeutic option against chronic, recurrent, or drug-resistant infections.
Screening for Social Determinants of Health in Michigan Health Centers

Objective: Through an academic-community partnership with a statewide consortium of health centers (HCs) in Michigan, we characterize the current scope of screening for social determinants of health (SDH). Methods: We requested copies of forms used to screen for SDH at the 39 HC organizations in Michigan. Using content analysis, we examined variation in screening domains and processes. We present descriptive analyses of HC characteristics and patient demographics. Results: We received screening documentation from 23 of the 39 HCs (59%), representing 167 delivery sites. We found broad empiric consensus regarding a core set of 13 SDH screening domains that align with nationally recommended screening guidelines. Two additional domains, Culture and Functional Status, were screened for by <40% of HCs. While patient self-report is the most frequent mode of SDH screening (41%), many HCs use staff members to administer the screening documents. Conclusions: HCs across a large and diverse state are screening for SDH and largely agree on core SDH screening domains. Using existing empiric data from frontline providers can inform potential best practices in SDH screening.
Metabolic Regulation of “Ca. Methylacidiphilum Fumariolicum” SolV Cells Grown Under Different Nitrogen and Oxygen Limitations

Aerobic methanotrophic bacteria can use methane as their sole energy source. The discovery of “Ca. Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum” strain SolV and other verrucomicrobial methanotrophs has revealed that the ability of bacteria to oxidize CH4 is much more diverse than has previously been assumed in terms of ecology, phylogeny, and physiology. A remarkable characteristic of the methane-oxidizing Verrucomicrobia is their extremely acidophilic phenotype, growing even below pH 1. In this study we used RNA-Seq to analyze the metabolic regulation of “Ca. M. fumariolicum” SolV cells growing at μmax in batch culture or under nitrogen fixing or oxygen limited conditions in chemostats, all at pH 2. The analysis showed that two of the three pmoCAB operons each encoding particulate methane monoxygenases were differentially expressed, probably regulated by the available oxygen. The hydrogen produced during N2 fixation is apparently recycled as demonstrated by the upregulation of the genes encoding a Ni/Fe-dependent hydrogenase. These hydrogenase genes were also upregulated under low oxygen conditions. Handling of nitrosative stress was shown by the expression of the nitric oxide reductase encoding genes norB and norC under all conditions tested, the upregulation of nitrite reductase nirK under oxygen limitation and of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase hao in the presence of ammonium. Unraveling the gene regulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism helps to understand the underlying physiological adaptations of strain SolV in view of the harsh conditions of its natural ecosystem.
VpStyA1 and VpStyA2B of Variovorax paradoxus EPS: Rather an Aryl Alkyl Sulfoxidase than a Styrene Epoxidizing Monooxygenase

VpStyA1 and VpStyA2B of Variovorax paradoxus EPS is annotated and characterized as the 14 first representative of an E2-type styrene monooxygenase of proteobacteria. It comprises a single 15 epoxidase (VpStyA1) and a fusion protein (VpStyA2B) which serves mainly as NADH:FAD16 oxidoreductase. VpStyA2B had a Km of 33.6 ± 4.0 μM for FAD and a kcat of 22.3 ± 1.1 s-1. VpStyA2B 17 and VpStyA1 showed monooxygenase activity on styrene of 0.14 U mg-1 and 0.46 U mg-1 as well as 18 on benzyl methyl sulfide of 1.62 U mg-1 and of 3.11 U mg-1. A putative fusion region at position 408 19 (AREAV) was mutated to provide insights on VpStyA2B-function. The best mutant (408-AAAAA) 20 obtained showed a 6.6-times higher affinity for FAD while keeping the NADH-affinity and 21 oxidation activity. Corresponding epoxidase activity increased (1.6-times). But, other mutants 22 showed still NADH:FAD-oxidoreductase activity, but lost mostly their epoxidase activity indicating 23 effects on the monooxygenase-part as well. Thus, this monooxygenase system represents an 24 interesting candidate for biocatalyst development. 25
Making B+- trees cache conscious in main memory

Previous research has shown that cache behavior is important for main memory index structures. Cache conscious index structures such as Cache Sensitive Search Trees (CSS-Trees) perform lookups much faster than binary search and T-Trees. However, CSS-Trees are designed for decision support workloads with relatively static data. Although B+-Trees are more cache conscious than binary search and T-Trees, their utilization of a cache line is low since half of the space is used to store child pointers. Nevertheless, for applications that require incremental updates, traditional B+-Trees perform well. Our goal is to make B+-Trees as cache conscious as CSS-Trees without increasing their update cost too much. We propose a new indexing technique called “Cache Sensitive B+-Trees” (CSB+-Trees). It is a variant of B+-Trees that stores all the child nodes of any given node contiguously, and keeps only the address of the first child in each node. The rest of the children can be found by adding an offset to that address. Since only one child pointer is stored explicitly, the utilization of a cache line is high. CSB+-Trees support incremental updates in a way similar to B+-Trees. We also introduce two variants of CSB+-Trees. Segmented CSB+-Trees divide the child nodes into segments. Nodes within the same segment are stored contiguously and only pointers to the beginning of each segment are stored explicitly in each node. Segmented CSB+-Trees can reduce the copying cost when there is a split since only one segment needs to be moved. Full CSB+-Trees preallocate space for the full node group and thus reduce the split cost. Our performance studies show that CSB+-Trees are useful for a wide range of applications.
Effects of Initial Body Mass Index and Weight Change on All-Cause Mortality: A 10-Year Cohort Study in Korea

We evaluated the effects of baseline body mass index (BMI) and its changes over 4 years on all-cause mortality in Korean population. We analyzed 351 735 participants whose BMI was measured in both 2002/2003 and 2006/2007. Mortality was assessed until 2013. Multivariate hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were estimated. Underweight and severe obesity with BMI >30 kg/m2 were significantly associated with higher mortality. Similarly, >5% decrease or >10% increase of BMI for 4 years was associated with the increased risk of death. Comparing the results between baseline BMI and BMI change, the BMI change showed more stable associations with mortality than the baseline BMI in subgroup analysis such as nonsmokers and healthy participants. This study suggests that BMI change could be a useful health indicator along with obesity level by BMI. In addition, maintaining a healthy weight is needed for longevity, but rapid weight change should be carefully monitored.