Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Roles of Lanthanum and Cerium in Grain Refinement of Steels during Solidification

Refinement of as-cast structures is one of the most effective approaches to improve mechanical properties, formability, and surface quality of steel castings and ingots. In the past few decades, addition of rare earths (REs), lanthanum and cerium in particular, has been considered as a practical and effective method to refine the as-cast steels. However, previous reports contained inconsistent, sometime even contradictory, results. This review summaries the major published results on investigation of the roles of lanthanum or/and cerium in various steels, provides reviews on the similarity and difference of previous studies, and clarifies the inconsistent results. The proposed mechanisms of grain refinement by the addition of lanthanum or/and cerium are also reviewed. It is concluded that the grain refinement of steels by RE additions is attributed to either heterogeneous nucleation on the in-situ formed RE inclusions, a solute effect, or the combined effect of both. The models/theories for evaluation of heterogeneous nucleation potency and for solute effect on grain refinement of cast metals are also briefly summarized.
Endogenous Communication in Complex Organizations

We study the information ‡ows that arise within an organization with local knowl- edge and payoexternalities. Our organization is modeled as a network game played by agents with asymmetric information. Before making decisions, agents can invest in pairwise communication. Both active communication (speaking) and passive com- munication (listening) are costly. Our main result is a close-form characterization of equilibrium communication intensities and decision functions for our class of network games. This result can be used to describe the determinants of pairwise communication, the overall in‡uence of each agent, the ratio between active and passive communication, and the discrepancy between actual and e¢ cient communication patterns. The analysis is also extended to organizations that contain teams of agents who share the same ob- jective. Throughout the paper, we apply our results to two examples of organizations: a matrix-form …rm and a network of professionals.
Effect of vasopressin on the expression of genes for key enzymes of hyaluronan turnover in Wistar Albino Glaxo and Brattleboro rat kidneys

• What is the central question of this study? The interstitium of the renal inner medulla contains abundant linear negatively charged glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA), which affects the water flow depending on their polymeric state. It remains an open question whether HA is involved in the long‐term effect of vasopressin on water reabsorption via the regulation of the expression of genes for key enzymes of HA turnover. • What is the main finding and its importance? Using real‐time RT‐PCR, we show that in rats vasopressin inhibits the synthesis of HA and concomitantly promotes its degradation in the renal interstitium through its effect on genes for key enzymes of HA turnover (hyaluronan synthase‐2 and hyaluronidase‐2). Analysis of the long‐term effect of vasopressin on the transcription of these genes demonstrated a new mechanism in hormonal regulation of the renal concentrating function.
Lipophilic properties of anti‐Alzheimer's agents determined by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography

Lipophilicity as one of the most important physicochemical properties of the biologically active compounds is closely related to their pharmacokinetic parameters and therefore, it is taken into account at the design stage of new drugs. Among the novel, fast, and reliable methods for determination of the lipophilicity of compounds micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is considered to be an appropriate one for bioactive molecules, as it closely mimics the physiological conditions. In this paper MEKC was used for the estimation of log P values for 49 derivatives of phthalimide, tetrahydroisochinoline and indole, designed and synthesized as potential anti‐Alzheimer's agents with cholinesterase inhibitory activity. RP‐TLC method was applied for determination of another lipophilicity descriptor ‐ RM0. The results of both experimental methods were compared with each other giving satisfactory correlation (R = 0.784), and with computational methods (Marvin, ChemOffice Software) resulting in weaker correlation (R = 0.466–0.687). The lipophilicity–activity relationship was finally established, showing significant influence of lipophilicity on cholinesterase inhibition in some subgroups of phthalimide derivatives.
Is there an EMF-cancer connection?

Scientists would also like to understand the biological processes by which EMF exposure might lead to cancer. Laboratory investigations have shown that EMFs can indeed elicit some effects in cells, including changes in hormone levels, in protein synthesis, and in ion flow across cell membranes. But so far this research has not produced clear laboratory evidence that EMFs either cause or promote cancer. Without such evidence, most researchers are reluctant to pin the carcinogen label on EMFs based on the somewhat ambiguous epidemiology studies. What is needed, researchers say, is more research, and that is coming. Two or three epidemiological studies, are scheduled to be released in the next couple of months, and several large projects are under way which won't be finished for 2 or 3 years. This next generation of research will include several improvements over its predecessors. The studies will in general be much larger - large enough to provide some real statistical power - and they will take into account what researchers have learned in the past few years about measuring EMF exposures.
The Economics of the Gift

In the past, gift-giving has interested mainly anthropologists because it was taken to be a primitive mode of exchange. Recent contributions of economists acknowledge however that gift-giving is still present in modern exchange economies. In this paper gifts are characterized by motivations. Two main features of gift giving are to be explained: (in-)adequacy and (non-)reciprocity. It is argued that social approval is potentially a powerful explanation of gift-giving. We relate the results to the market economy and try to explain the anomaly that gift-giving is sometimes reduced after compensation is offered.
Humanistic and economic outcomes of pharmacist‐provided medication review in the community‐dwelling elderly: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Recent reviews have shown that pharmacist‐provided medication review in the elderly can improve clinical outcomes and reduce medication discrepancies compared with usual care. However, none determined whether these translate to improved humanistic and economic outcomes. This review sought to evaluate the effects of medication review on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and healthcare costs in the elderly.
Advances on the Inductive Plasma Thruster Design for an Atmosphere-Breathing EP System

Challenging space mission scenarios include those in very low Earth orbits, where the atmosphere creates significant drag to the S/C and forces their orbit to an early decay. For drag compensation, propulsion systems are needed, requiring propellant to be carried on-board. An atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion system (ABEP) ingests the residual atmosphere through an intake and uses it as propellant for an electric thruster. Theoretically applicable to any planet with atmosphere, the system might allow drag compensation for an unlimited time without carrying propellant. A new range of altitudes for continuous operation would become accessible, enabling new scientific missions while reducing the required effort for the launcher by achieving these low orbits. Preliminary studies have shown that the collectible propellant flow for an ion thruster in low Earth orbit (LEO) might not be enough, and that electrode erosion due to aggressive gases, such as atomic oxygen, will limit the thruster’s lifetime. In this paper we present the advances on the design of an inductive plasma thruster (IPT) for the ABEP. The IPT is based on a small-scale inductively heated plasma generator IPG6-S. IPG have the advantage of being electrodeless, and have already shown high electric-tothermal coupling efficiencies using O2 and CO2 as propellant. IPG6-S requires a scaling of the discharge channel to meet with power requirement and expected collected mass flows, as well as optimisation of the accelerating stage, to provide the required thrust to the spacecraft. Tests have been performed to verify some of the parameters and are as well presented within this paper.
Complexin facilitates exocytosis and synchronizes vesicle release in two secretory model systems

• Knockout (KO) of complexin in mouse neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and adrenal chromaffin cells causes a reduction and a loss in synchronicity in calcium‐mediated exocytosis. • A train of high‐frequency stimuli induces synaptic facilitation rather than depression in Complexin 1 KO NMJs, and the degree of facilitation is sensitive to calcium buffering. • There is a specific reduction of the vesicle pool close to the calcium channels in Complexin 2 KO chromaffin cells, which can be rescued by heterologous expression of either Complexin 1 or Complexin 2. • Complexin synchronizes vesicle release through facilitating vesicle and calcium channel coupling.
Natural Walking Reference Generation Based on Double-Link LIPM Gait Planning Algorithm

In this paper, an enhanced linear inverted pendulum model (LIPM) and a gait planning algorithm are proposed. The LIPM is a widely used concept for gait reference generation, and it provides a simplified model for planning a center of mass trajectory when given a proper zero moment point trajectory. However, one of the assumptions of LIPM is that the legs of the robot are massless, so that the mass of the supporting leg can be neglected for simplification, and it conflicts with the mass distributions of human beings and most humanoid robots. Hence, this paper proposes a double-link LIPM (DLIPM) to eliminate the conflict about mass distribution. In addition, a gait planning algorithm is proposed for natural walking reference generation. In the simulation results, the proposed method is implemented based on a model of a teen-sized humanoid robot named David Junior. The simulation results validate the feasibility and practicability of the proposed method. Moreover, comparisons between conventional LIPM and DLIPM demonstrate the performance of the proposed DLIPM method. Eventually, the proposed method is implemented on David Junior for the weight-lifting event in the 2015 FIRA RoboWorld Cup, an event which David Junior won first place.
Incorporating Syntactic Dependency Information towards Improved Coding of Lengthy Medical Concepts in Clinical Reports

Medical concepts in clinical reports can be found with a high degree of variability of expression. Normalizing medical concepts to standardized vocabularies is a common way of accounting for this variability. One of the challenges in medical concept normalization is the difficulty in comparing two concepts which are orthographically different in representation but are identical in meaning. In this work we describe a method to compare medical phrases by utilizing the information found in syntactic dependencies. We collected a large corpus of radiology reports from our university medical center. A shallow semantic parser was used to identify anatomical phrases. We performed a series of transformations to convert the anatomical phrase into a normalized syntactic dependency representation. The new representation provides an easy intuitive way of comparing the phrases for the purpose of concept normalization.
Cramer–von Mises Tests for the Compatibility of Two Software Operating Environments

Higher-precision inferences about impending software failures can be achieved when the same software reliability model that fits failure data from the test interval also fits data from the field interval. If the test and field environments differ significantly in terms of how the software is used, then a single model for the pooled data may not be adequate. In this article we formulate the hypothesis of compatible test and field environments in terms of a statistical hypothesis and develop a Cramer–von Mises (CvM) test procedure within the context of a well-known nonhomogeneous Poisson process software reliability model. The CvM test has a compelling advantage over a previously proposed likelihood ratio test (LRT0), because it does not require specification of the class of alternatives, which are frequently unknown for real-life problems. Moreover, although there are existence issues with LRT0, the CvM test always exists. An asymptotic approximation for the p value of the CvM test is derived, and an algorithm for a small-sample bootstrap approximation is presented. A simulation study shows that the CvM test works well for the class of alternatives for which LRT0 also would work well and continues to work well for other alternatives for which LRT0 has no statistical motivation or otherwise has existence problems. Data from a real software project are used to illustrate the hypothesis testing procedures.
Voluntary breath-holding for breast cancer radiotherapy is consistent and stable.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate breath-hold stability and constancy for a voluntary breath-hold (VBH) technique in a retrospective analysis. METHODS Movie loop sequences of electronic portal image data from multiple breath holds in a cohort of 19 patients were used to assess within and between breath-hold stability. In vivo dosimetry data based on electronic portal imaging (EPI) were analysed for 31 VBH patients plus a cohort of free-breathing (FB) patients to provide a reference. A phantom experiment simulated the impact on dose of FB, breath hold and unplanned release of breath hold. RESULTS 165/174 (93%) movie loop data sets had no detectable displacement. For the remaining 12, median displacement = 1.5 mm and maximum displacement = 3 mm (one patient on one fraction). In vivo dosimetry data analysis showed a median dose difference measured to planned of -0.2% (VBH) and -0.1% (FB). Dose distribution evaluation (γ) pass rates were 84% (VBH) and 91% (FB) including the lung region; 93% and 96% with a lung override. Unplanned release of phantom breath-hold position changed median dose by ≤1% and degraded γ pass rates to 79-62%. Failing regions were mostly in the periphery of the treated volume. CONCLUSION The data confirmed that multiple VBHs using visual monitoring are stable; in vivo dose verification via EPI was within expected and acceptable levels. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE These data provide further reassurance that VBH is a safe technique for cardiac sparing breast radiotherapy and support its rapid, widespread implementation.
Cascadable Voltage-Mode Multifunction Biquad Employing Single OTRA

Abstract – A voltage-mode (VM), multi-input single-output (MISO) type multifunction biquad is proposed. It uses only one operational transresistance amplifier (OTRA) as the active element, while previously reported VM multifunction filters require more OTRAs. Proposed MISO type biquad configuration can realize all five different filter transfer functions. Theoretical results are verified with PSPICE simulations using a CMOS realization of OTRA.
Modeling and Coordinate Control of Circulating Currents in Parallel Three-Phase Boost Rectifiers

In this paper, definition of the circulating currents of multiphase paralleled converters is first presented, and the circulating-current-generating mechanism is clearly explained. Thus, based on this definition, an averaged model of the circulating current is proposed. It is seen from this model that the circulating current consists of not only the zero-sequence but also the nonzero-sequence components. The governing differential equation also shows explicitly the relation between the circulating currents and the affecting factors such as different pulse width-modulation strategies. With this understanding, a simple coordinate control is then presented to reduce the circulating current. The phenomenon of the intrinsic circulating current is also explained. Furthermore, a prototype system is constructed, and the proposed control is implemented using TMS320F2812 DSP. Both simulation and experimental results verify the validity of the proposed theory and control
KW-level commercial Ce/Yb Co-doped aluminosilicate fiber

To investigate the laser performance of Ce/ Yb-codoped aluminosilicate (Al2O3-SiO2) binary glass fiber, we took commercial Nufern-20/400-9M fiber as a research object. 0.95 kW laser output power at 1066 nm with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 83.3% was achieved at fiber laser amplifier stage. Beam quality of Mx2 and My2 is 1.56 and 1.68 at 0.95 kW, respectively. The results indicate Nufern-20/400-9M fiber may be suitable
Ochronotic black meniscus during knee arthroscopy

Ochronotic arthropathy is a rare condition found in patients with alkaptonuria, which is a hereditary metabolic disease associated with deposition the of homogentisic acid derivatives in various connective tissues of the body. We present the case of a 30-year-old woman in whom arthroscopic examination of the left knee prior to meniscectomy for bucket handle tear of medial meniscus revealed brown-black discoloration of the articular cartilage and menisci leading to the diagnosis of alkaptonuria by further laboratory evaluation. After medical and surgical treatment, patient's complaints were alleviated and no further complaints were registered, during the next follow-up.
Regulation of xenogeneic porcine pancreatic islets

Arcidiacono JA, Evdokimov E, Lee MH, Jones J, Rudenko L, Schneider B, Snoy PJ, Wei C‐H, Wensky AK, Wonnacott K. Regulation of xenogeneic porcine pancreatic islets. Xenotransplantation 2010; 17: 329–337. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Application of the Sherlock Mycobacteria Identification System Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in a Clinical Laboratory

ABSTRACT There is a growing need for a more accurate, rapid, and cost-effective alternative to conventional tests for identification of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium species. Therefore, the ability of the Sherlock Mycobacteria Identification System (SMIS; MIDI, Inc.) using computerized software and a Hewlett-Packard series 1100 high-performance liquid chromatograph to identify mycobacteria was compared to identification using phenotypic characteristics, biochemical tests, probes (Gen-Probe, Inc.), gas-liquid chromatography, and, when necessary, PCR-restriction enzyme analysis of the 65-kDa heat shock protein gene and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Culture, harvesting, saponification, extraction, derivatization, and chromatography were performed following MIDI's instructions. Of 370 isolates and stock cultures tested, 327 (88%) were given species names by the SMIS. SMIS software correctly identified 279 of the isolates (75% of the total number of isolates and 85% of the named isolates). The overall predictive value of accuracy (correct calls divided by total calls of a species) for SMIS species identification was 85%, ranging from only 27% (3 of 11) for M. asiaticum to 100% for species or groups including M. malmoense (8 of 8), M. nonchromogenicum (11 of 11), and the M. chelonae-abscessus complex (21 of 21). By determining relative peak height ratios (RPHRs) and relative retention times (RRTs) of selected mycolic acid peaks, as well as phenotypic properties, all 48 SMIS-misidentified isolates and 39 (91%) of the 43 unidentified isolates could be correctly identified. Material and labor costs per isolate were $10.94 for SMIS, $26.58 for probes, and $42.31 for biochemical identification. The SMIS, combined with knowledge of RPHRs, RRTs, and phenotypic characteristics, offers a rapid, reasonably accurate, cost-effective alternative to more traditional methods of mycobacterial species identification.
TLR2 and RIP2 Pathways Mediate Autophagy of Listeria monocytogenes via Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) Activation*

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular pathogen that invades the host cytoplasm. Results: Cells deficient in TLR2 and NOD2 show defective autophagy of Listeria monocytogenes. Conclusion: Autophagy of Listeria is dependent on ERK pathway that is perturbed in TLR2- and NOD2-deficient cells. Significance: Our study establishes the role of innate immune receptors in autophagy of intracellular pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen that invades both phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells. Recent studies have shown that L. monocytogenes infection activates the autophagy pathway. However, the innate immune receptors involved and the downstream signaling pathways remain unknown. Here, we show that macrophages deficient in the TLR2 and NOD/RIP2 pathway display defective autophagy induction in response to L. monocytogenes. Inefficient autophagy in Tlr2−/− and Nod2−/− macrophages led to a defect in bacteria colocalization with the autophagosomal marker GFP-LC3. Consequently, macrophages lacking TLR2 and NOD2 were found to be more susceptible to L. monocytogenes infection, as were the Rip2−/− mice. Tlr2−/− and Nod2−/− cells showed perturbed NF-κB and ERK signaling. However, autophagy against L. monocytogenes was dependent selectively on the ERK pathway. In agreement, wild-type cells treated with a pharmacological inhibitor of ERK or ERK-deficient cells displayed inefficient autophagy activation in response to L. monocytogenes. Accordingly, fewer bacteria were targeted to the autophagosomes and, consequently, higher bacterial growth was observed in cells deficient in the ERK signaling pathway. These findings thus demonstrate that TLR2 and NOD proteins, acting via the downstream ERK pathway, are crucial to autophagy activation and provide a mechanistic link between innate immune receptors and induction of autophagy against cytoplasm-invading microbes, such as L. monocytogenes.
The Stringency of Start Codon Selection in the Filamentous Fungus Neurospora crassa*

Background: Although AUG is the traditional eukaryotic initiation codon, near-cognate codons may serve this function. Results: In N. crassa, some near-cognate codons are used as initiation codons at reasonable efficiency. Conclusion: The hierarchy of near-cognate codon usage in N. crassa is similar to that in human cells. Significance: Near-cognate initiation codons could provide additional coding capacity or have regulatory functions. In eukaryotic cells initiation may occur from near-cognate codons that differ from AUG by a single nucleotide. The stringency of start codon selection impacts the efficiency of initiation at near-cognate codons and the efficiency of initiation at AUG codons in different contexts. We used a codon-optimized firefly luciferase reporter initiated with AUG or each of the nine near-cognate codons in preferred context to examine the stringency of start codon selection in the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. In vivo results indicated that the hierarchy of initiation at start codons in N. crassa (AUG ≫ CUG > GUG > ACG > AUA ≈ UUG > AUU > AUC) is similar to that in human cells. Similar results were obtained by translating mRNAs in a homologous N. crassa in vitro translation system or in rabbit reticulocyte lysate. We next examined the efficiency of initiation at AUG, CUG, and UUG codons in different contexts in vitro. The preferred context was more important for efficient initiation from near-cognate codons than from AUG. These studies demonstrated that near-cognate codons are used for initiation in N. crassa. Such events could provide additional coding capacity or have regulatory functions. Analyses of the 5′-leader regions in the N. crassa transcriptome revealed examples of highly conserved near-cognate codons in preferred contexts that could extend the N termini of the predicted polypeptides.