Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating NK cells and their subsets in Behçet's disease

Behçet's disease (BD) is an autoinflammatory, chronic relapsing/remitting disease of unknown aetiology with both innate and acquired immune cells implicated in disease pathogenesis. Peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells and their CD56Dim/CD56Bright subsets were surface phenotyped using CD27 and CD16 surface markers in 60 BD patients compared to 60 healthy controls (HCs). Functional potential was assessed by production of interferon (IFN)‐γ, granzyme B, perforin and the expression of degranulation marker CD107a. The effects of disease activity (BDActive versus BDQuiet) and BD medication on NK cells were also investigated. Peripheral blood NK cells (P < 0·0001) and their constituent CD56Dim (P < 0·0001) and CD56Bright (P = 0·0015) subsets were depleted significantly in BD patients compared to HCs, and especially in those with active disease (BDActive) (P < 0·0001). BD patients taking azathioprine also had significantly depleted NK cells compared to HCs (P < 0·0001). A stepwise multivariate linear regression model confirmed BD activity and azathioprine therapy as significant independent predictor variables of peripheral blood NK percentage (P < 0·001). In general, CD56Dim cells produced more perforin (P < 0·0001) and granzyme B (P < 0·01) expressed higher CD16 levels (P < 0·0001) compared to CD56Bright cells, confirming their increased cytotoxic potential with overall higher NK cell CD107a expression in BD compared to HCs (P < 0·01). Interestingly, IFN‐γ production and CD27 expression were not significantly different between CD56Dim/CD56Bright subsets. In conclusion, both BD activity and azathioprine therapy have significant independent depletive effects on the peripheral blood NK cell compartment.
Outcome of isolated fetal choroid plexus cyst detected in prenatal sonography among infertile patients referred to Royan Institute: A 3-year study

Background: Several studies have assessed the correlation of fetal choroid plexus cyst (CPC) and the risk of congenital anomalies, but few ones have discussed isolated CPC (with no other abnormal sonographic finding). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of isolated fetal choroid plexus cyst and to specify its clinical significance. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out at Royan Institute in Tehran, Iran, between April 2009 and December 2012. All prenatal sonographies in this period of time were assessed using a computerized database and fetuses who had isolated CPC were recruited in the study. Sonography reports, mother serum screening test results, fetal echocardiography and amniocentesis were evaluated until birth. A follow-up phone call was made to all individuals to learn about the neonatal outcomes. Results: Overall, 6240 prenatal sonographies were performed in this setting during this period. Isolated CPC was detected in 64 fetuses. The results of double test (N=30), triple test (N=5) and fetal echocardiography (N =24) were normal. Quadruple test result showed 3 abnormal out of 29 cases that all had normal karyotypes. Four samples were dropped out due to premature rupture of membranes (N=3) and intrauterine fetal death (N=1). It was found that the outcomes of all remaining fetuses (N=60) were normal and no anomaly ones were seen until birth. Conclusion: Isolated CPC is a benign regressive condition with no clinical significance.
Characterization of Mycobacterium Abscessus Subtypes in Shanghai of China

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the epidemic characteristics of Mycobacterium abscessus in Shanghai. Fifty-five strains from 55 M. abscessus pulmonary disease patients were isolated. Drug sensitivity was measured by a broth microdilution method. Subtypes of M. abscessus were identified by DNA sequencing. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), mining spanning tree (MST), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were used to analyze sequence types (ST) and clonal complexes (CC). Clinical manifestations were assessed by CT imaging. We identified 42 A isolates, 11 M, and 2 B-subtypes. A and M were highly sensitive to tigecycline and amikacin (97.6–100%). The A-type easily developed drug resistance against clarithromycin. Both types were highly resistance to sulfonamides, moxifloxacin, doxycycline, imipenem, and tobramycin. MLST analysis identified 41 STs including 32 new STs. The MST algorithm distributed 55 isolates into 12 separate CC. The PFGE analysis exhibited 53 distinct restriction patterns and the M-type was closely clustered according to their ST and CC numbers. CT imaging showed that tree-in-bud and patch shadow were commonly observed in M-type, whereas pulmonary cavities were often found in A-type infection patients (P < 0.001). ST1 in A and ST23 in M-type were the main epidemic strains in Shanghai. The M-type appeared to be prone to epidemic nosocomial transmission.
Fisheye menus

We introduce “fisheye menus” which apply traditional fisheye graphical visualization techniques to linear menus. This provides for an efficient mechanism to select items from long menus, which are becoming more common as menus are used to select data items in, for example, e-commerce applications. Fisheye menus dynamically change the size of menu items to provide a focus area around the mouse pointer. This makes it possible to present the entire menu on a single screen without requiring buttons, scrollbars, or hierarchies. A pilot study with 10 users compared user preference of fisheye menus with traditional pull-down menus that use scrolling arrows, scrollbars, and hierarchies. Users preferred the fisheye menus for browsing tasks, and hierarchical menus for goal-directed tasks.
Genome-Wide Identification of Ampicillin Resistance Determinants in Enterococcus faecium

Enterococcus faecium has become a nosocomial pathogen of major importance, causing infections that are difficult to treat owing to its multi-drug resistance. In particular, resistance to the β-lactam antibiotic ampicillin has become ubiquitous among clinical isolates. Mutations in the low-affinity penicillin binding protein PBP5 have previously been shown to be important for ampicillin resistance in E. faecium, but the existence of additional resistance determinants has been suggested. Here, we constructed a high-density transposon mutant library in E. faecium and developed a transposon mutant tracking approach termed Microarray-based Transposon Mapping (M-TraM), leading to the identification of a compendium of E. faecium genes that contribute to ampicillin resistance. These genes are part of the core genome of E. faecium, indicating a high potential for E. faecium to evolve towards β-lactam resistance. To validate the M-TraM results, we adapted a Cre-lox recombination system to construct targeted, markerless mutants in E. faecium. We confirmed the role of four genes in ampicillin resistance by the generation of targeted mutants and further characterized these mutants regarding their resistance to lysozyme. The results revealed that ddcP, a gene predicted to encode a low-molecular-weight penicillin binding protein with D-alanyl-D-alanine carboxypeptidase activity, was essential for high-level ampicillin resistance. Furthermore, deletion of ddcP sensitized E. faecium to lysozyme and abolished membrane-associated D,D-carboxypeptidase activity. This study has led to the development of a broadly applicable platform for functional genomic-based studies in E. faecium, and it provides a new perspective on the genetic basis of ampicillin resistance in this organism.
Defective DNA Ligation during Short-Patch Single-Strand Break Repair in Ataxia Oculomotor Apraxia 1

ABSTRACT Ataxia oculomotor apraxia 1 (AOA1) results from mutations in aprataxin, a component of DNA strand break repair that removes AMP from 5′ termini. Despite this, global rates of chromosomal strand break repair are normal in a variety of AOA1 and other aprataxin-defective cells. Here we show that short-patch single-strand break repair (SSBR) in AOA1 cell extracts bypasses the point of aprataxin action at oxidative breaks and stalls at the final step of DNA ligation, resulting in the accumulation of adenylated DNA nicks. Strikingly, this defect results from insufficient levels of nonadenylated DNA ligase, and short-patch SSBR can be restored in AOA1 extracts, independently of aprataxin, by the addition of recombinant DNA ligase. Since adenylated nicks are substrates for long-patch SSBR, we reasoned that this pathway might in part explain the apparent absence of a chromosomal SSBR defect in aprataxin-defective cells. Indeed, whereas chemical inhibition of long-patch repair did not affect SSBR rates in wild-type mouse neural astrocytes, it uncovered a significant defect in Aptx−/− neural astrocytes. These data demonstrate that aprataxin participates in chromosomal SSBR in vivo and suggest that short-patch SSBR arrests in AOA1 because of insufficient nonadenylated DNA ligase.
An Intermittent Star Formation History in a “Normal” Disk Galaxy: The Milky Way

The star formation rate history of the Milky Way is derived using the chromospheric age distribution for 552 stars in the solar neighborhood. The stars' sample birth sites are distributed over a very large range of distances because of orbital diffusion and so give an estimate of the global star formation rate history. The derivation incorporates the metallicity dependence of chromospheric emission at a given age and corrections to account for incompleteness, scale height-age correlations, and stellar evolutionary effects. We find fluctuations in the global star formation rate with amplitudes greater than a factor of 2-3 on timescales less than 0.2-1 Gyr. The actual history is likely to be more bursty than found here because of the smearing effect of age uncertainties. There is some evidence for a slow secular increase in the star formation rate, perhaps a record of the accumulation history of our Galaxy. A smooth, nearly constant star formation rate history is strongly ruled out, confirming the result first discovered by Barry using a smaller sample and a different age calibration. This result suggests that galaxies can fluctuate coherently on large scales.
Regularity and Symmetry as a Base for Efficient Realization of Reversible Logic Circuits

We introduce a Reversible Programmable Gate Array (RPGA) based on regular structure to realize binary functions in reversible logic. This structure, called a 2 * 2 Net Structure, allows for more efficient realization of symmetric functions than the methods shown by previous authors. In addition, it realizes many non-symmetric functions even without variable repetition. Our synthesis method to RPGAs allows to realize arbitrary symmetric function in a completely regular structure of reversible gates with smaller “garbage” than the previously presented papers. Because every Boolean function is symmetrizable by repeating input variables, our method is applicable to arbitrary multi-input, multi-output Boolean functions and realizes such arbitrary function in a circuit with a relatively small number of garbage gate outputs. The method can be also used in classical logic. Its advantages in terms of numbers of gates and inputs/outputs are especially seen for symmetric or incompletely specified functions with many outputs.
Thickness shear mode vibrations in silicon bar resonators

This paper demonstrates a dielectrically transduced high quality factor (Q) quarter-wave thickness shear silicon resonator. Dielectric transduction provides a κ 2 reduction in motional impedance relative to air-gap electrostatic transduction. The resonator is fabricated on the 1.8 µm thick device layer of a heavily doped SOI wafer with 68 nm thick silicon nitride thin-film on top. The quarter-wave thickness shear mode of the silicon bar resonator has a resonant frequency of 713 MHz, a motional impedance Rx of 10.5 kΩ and Q of 1,517 in air. After partial release, the bar resonates at 723 MHz, exhibiting a motional impedance Rx of 2.4 kΩ and Q of 4,400 in air. Additionally, by varying a tuning voltage between the resonator and silicon substrate from 50 V to 150 V across a 2.5 micron gap, approximately 5 MHz of frequency tuning is observed.
High-Resolution Simulations of the Plunging Region in a Pseudo-Newtonian Potential: Dependence on Numerical Resolution and Field Topology

New three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accretion disk dynamics in a pseudo-Newtonian Paczyński-Wiita potential are presented. These have finer resolution in the inner disk than any previously reported. Finer resolution leads to increased magnetic field strength, greater accretion rate, and greater fluctuations in the accretion rate. One simulation begins with a purely poloidal magnetic field, the other with a purely toroidal field. Compared to the poloidal initial field simulation, a purely toroidal initial field takes longer to reach saturation of the magnetorotational instability and produces less turbulence and weaker magnetic field energies. For both initial field configurations, magnetic stresses continue across the marginally stable orbit; measured in units corresponding to the Shakura-Sunyaev α-parameter, the stress grows from ~0.1 in the disk body to as much as ~10 deep in the plunging region. Matter passing the inner boundary of the simulation has ~10% greater binding energy and ~10% smaller angular momentum than it did at the marginally stable orbit. Both the mass accretion rate and the integrated stress fluctuate widely on a broad range of timescales.
Spiky strings in the SL(2) Bethe Ansatz

We consider spiky strings in the context of the SL(2) Bethe ansatz equations. We obtain an asymmetric distribution of Bethe roots along one cut which determines the all loop anomalous dimension at leading and subleading orders in a large S expansion. At leading order in strong coupling (large λ) the energy of such states is given, in terms of the spin S and the number of spikes n by . This result agrees perfectly with the same expansion obtained from the known spiky string classical solution. We also discuss a two cut spiky string Bethe root distribution at one-loop in the SL(2) Bethe ansatz.
Students’ Thinking About Effort and Ability: The Role of Developmental, Contextual, and Individual Difference Factors

Students’ thinking about the relation between effort and ability can influence their motivation, affect, and academic achievement. Students sometimes think of effort as inversely related to ability (such that people with low ability must work harder than people with high ability) and other times think of effort as positively related to ability (such that hard work can lead people to develop high levels of ability). The purposes of the present review are (a) to review literature on developmental, contextual, and individual difference factors that influence students’ thinking about the relation between effort and ability in school and (b) to identify unresolved questions in this literature and present an extended theoretical framework that can help answer these questions. By providing researchers with a better understanding of how students think about effort and ability, we hope that this review will inspire new research in this area.
Therapist Knowledge, Attitudes Toward, and Experiences with Social Media Use in Treating Adolescent Females

Recent research on social media use suggest that over 90% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years use the Internet and 73% spend time on social networking sites (Cingel, Lauricella, Wartella, & Conway, 2013). This makes it increasingly important for therapists to be aware of the current social media applications, as well as the risks and benefits that may accompany use. Although there is much literature on the possible benefits and risks to social media use, there is minimal research on how therapists use this information to treat an adolescent population effectively. The present study utilized a cross-sectional websurvey design to gain insight into current knowledge and attitudes of therapists regarding social media use in adolescent girls. The survey was completed by psychology clinicians and psychology practicum students (n = 98), and assessed therapist attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with social media. The survey addressed personal use of social media as well as use for adolescent clients. Results found that over 75% of participants reported they access social media profiles at least one time per day. A large majority of participants (96.8%) reported they have encountered clients with problems associated with social networking and 88.9% believed there is a need for interventions targeting social media addiction in adolescent girls. Results found that personal experiences with social media applications significantly predicted therapists’ overall attitude about social media for adolescents. Results also found that therapists’ social media use frequency significantly predicted therapists’ comfort in targeting social media topics in therapy. Results suggest therapists’ personal experiences may impact their use of interventions in therapy. Future research should look for other variables that impact therapists’ ability to discuss social media topics effectively in therapy and use social media interventions.
Locating Objects Visually Using Opposing-Colour-Channel Coding

The work presented in this paper shows how a simple algebraic manipulation of the RGB colour channels of an artificial vision system can significantly improve the performance of an objectlocating mechanism based on unsupervised clustering. The proposed image processing and clustering mechanism forms the first part of a noveltydetecting robot controller. Experiments with two different connectionist approaches (SelfOrganising Feature Map and Principal Component Analysis Network) and an evaluation of their performances to the desired novelty-detection task are also presented.
Survival and cause‐specific mortality of gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in southern California

From May 1997 to July 1999, 24 gray foxes Urocyon cinereoargenteus were radio-marked and their fates monitored in a natural area of southern California to identify rates of survival and cause-specific mortality, and thus to assess population sustainability. Pup (0.4–1.0 years old) foxes had an 8-month (September–April) survival rate (0.34) that was lower than the 8-month (0.77) or 12-month (0.58) estimates for adult foxes. Interference competition was evident; 92% (11/12) of fox mortalities were the result of predation by sympatric coyotes Canis latrans or bobcats Felis rufus . Also, five of seven gray fox mortalities were outside of, or on the border of, the home range of the killed fox. Calculations indicated that the fox population would remain stable if survival of pups during their first 4 months of life was 0.68 ( vs 0.75 for adults during these months and 0.58 for older pups for 4 other months). This seems reasonable, yet sympatric carnivores, mainly coyotes, clearly influence the gray fox population in southern California.
Variation in promiscuity and sexual selection drives avian rate of Faster‐Z evolution

Higher rates of coding sequence evolution have been observed on the Z chromosome relative to the autosomes across a wide range of species. However, despite a considerable body of theory, we lack empirical evidence explaining variation in the strength of the Faster‐Z Effect. To assess the magnitude and drivers of Faster‐Z Evolution, we assembled six de novo transcriptomes, spanning 90 million years of avian evolution. Our analysis combines expression, sequence and polymorphism data with measures of sperm competition and promiscuity. In doing so, we present the first empirical evidence demonstrating the positive relationship between Faster‐Z Effect and measures of promiscuity, and therefore variance in male mating success. Our results from multiple lines of evidence indicate that selection is less effective on the Z chromosome, particularly in promiscuous species, and that Faster‐Z Evolution in birds is due primarily to genetic drift. Our results reveal the power of mating system and sexual selection in shaping broad patterns in genome evolution.
RESOURCE REDEPLOYMENT AND ACQUISITION PERFORMANCE IN DOMESTIC AND CROSS-BORDER ACQUISITIONS

Research in the strategy and international business literatures shows that firms often undertake acquisitions in order to exchange firm-specific resources. The core arguments arise from theories of market failures, where market failures can stem from potential opportunism or from coordination difficulties. However, empirical research on cross-border and domestic acquisitions has not been able to reach a consensus regarding post-acquisition strategy and performance in the two types of cases. We show that the post-acquisition performance of an acquisition in both domestic and cross-border contexts varies with the extent of post-acquisition redeployment, which in turn depends on two factors, including the degree of asymmetry in the resource profiles of the firms and the extent of context-specificity of these resources. We discuss differences in research emphases that have traditionally marked research concerning acquisitions in international business literature, which has emphasized cross-border acquisitions, and the strategy literature, which has focused on domestic acquisitions, and then identify opportunities for conceptual cross-fertilization between the literatures. The data draw from a detailed multinational survey with 251 acquisitions during the 1988-1992 period. The results generally support our predictions for domestic and cross-border acquisitions.
H∞ control of networked control systems with stochastic measurement losses

In this paper, the modeling and H∞, control problems for the Networked Control System (NCS) with random data-packet losses in sensor-controller channel and disturbances are investigated. In specific, the networked system with sensor measurement losses is modeled as a Markovian jump linear system(MJLS) by using a multi-rate sampling approach, while the characteristics of network-induced packet losses are assumed to follow multiple-state Markov chain process. The sufficient conditions for the robustly stochastic stability of the NCS are obtained via the piecewise Lyapunov function method. Instead of designing a general robust controller, we take the dynamic network conditions into consideration when designing a statefeedback controller for the NCS. The stochastic packet-loss-dependant controller for the closed-loop networked system is presented in the formulation of linear matrix inequalities(LMIs), under the given H∞ disturbance-rejection-attenuation level. Simulation results of a simple networked robotic arm show that the developed packet-loss-dependant controller can stabilize the networked system with both random sensor-measurement losses and disturbances robustly.