Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Traumatic Injury in vitro Elicits JNK-mediated Human Astrocyte Retraction, but Spares Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cells

The pathophysiology of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) involves the dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The lumen of the BBB is lined with cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CVEC) that are ensheathed with perivascular astrocyte endfeet. We investigated the cellular response of human-astrocytes and human-CVEC following trauma in vitro. Astrocytes and CVEC were subjected to a concussive injury (CI; mechanical stretch), then assessed for markers of injury (monolayer retraction) and activation (mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) phosphorylation). CI induces astrocyte monolayer retraction and activation, with predominant phosphorylation of JNK1/2 MAPK. Interfering with JNK1/2 activation (selective JNK inhibitors) reduces trauma-induced astrocyte retraction. On the contrary, CI does not induce CVEC retraction, however up-regulates CVEC pro-adhesive phenotype resulting in increased polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) adhesion. These findings indicate that CI elicits differential BBB cell responses: JNK-mediated astrocyte retraction and CVEC-dependent increase in leukocyte recruitment, the phenomena that may contribute to overall BBB dysfunction following TBI. designing the experimental approach and interpreting the data collected in this study. The human immortalized cerebrovascular endothelial cells, hCMEC/D3, employed in our experimentations were generously provided from Dr. Pierre Couraud (ISERM, France). Figures and texts were generated by C Augustine, and then reviewed by D Fraser and G Cepinskas. A portion of this manuscript will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication. iv Acknowledgments
CoDine: an interactive multi-sensory system for remote dining

The pervasiveness of computing has extended into domestic realms, including the dining room. Beyond simply a place to consume food, the dining room is a social hub where family members meet and share experiences. Yet busy lifestyles can make it difficult to spend social time with your family. To provide a new solution for family bonding, this paper presents the CoDine system, a dining table embedded with interactive subsystems that augment and transport the experience of communal family dining to create a sense of coexistence among remote family members. CoDine connects people in different locations through shared dining activities: gesture-based screen interaction, mutual food serving, ambient pictures on an animated tablecloth, and the transportation of edible messages. Rather than focusing on functionality or efficiency, CoDine aims to provide people with an engaging interactive dining experience through enriched multi-sensory communication.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of High Density DNA Arrays

Densely packed DNA arrays exhibit hexagonal and orthorhombic local packings, as well as a weakly first order transition between them. While we have some understanding of the interactions between DNA molecules in aqueous ionic solutions, the structural details of its ordered phases and the mechanism governing the respective phase transitions between them remains less well understood. Since at high DNA densities, i.e., small interaxial spacings, one can neither neglect the atomic details of the interacting macromolecular surfaces nor the atomic details of the intervening ionic solution, the atomistic resolution is a sine qua non to properly describe and analyze the interactions between DNA molecules. In fact, in order to properly understand the details of the observed osmotic equation of state, one needs to implement multiple levels of organization, spanning the range from the molecular order of DNA itself, the possible ordering of counterions, and then all the way to the induced molecular ordering of the aqueous solvent, all coupled together by electrostatic, steric, thermal and direct hydrogen-bonding interactions. Multiscale simulations therefore appear as singularly suited to connect the microscopic details of this system with its macroscopic thermodynamic behavior. We review the details of the simulation of dense atomistically resolved DNA arrays with different packing symmetries and the ensuing osmotic equation of state obtained by enclosing a DNA array in a monovalent salt and multivalent (spermidine) counterions within a solvent permeable membrane, mimicking the behavior of DNA arrays subjected to external osmotic stress. By varying the DNA density, the local packing symmetry, and the counterion type, we are able to analyze the osmotic equation of state together with the full structural characterization of the DNA subphase, the counterion distribution and the solvent structural order in terms of its different order parameters and consequently identify the most important contribution to the DNA-DNA interactions at high DNA densities.
Experimental Study on Tensile and Shear Behaviors of the Channel Type Embedded Parts in Concrete Beam

With the development of curtain wall in super high-rise buildings which promoting the application of embedded part. In this paper, the experimental research on the tensile, shear properties of a kind of channel type embedded part which has been disposed through a hot extrusion forming new technology. The mechanical properties, deformation and damage form of embedded parts were investigated.Experimental results indicate that it has good mechanical properties and favorable deformation performance under tensile and shear loads in normal work. Under effect of tension, the circular anchor nail was pulled-off from channel and the bottom junction between square anchor nail and channel was tore were the main failure forms. Otherwise, when under the effect of shear, the bolts were sheared fracture. The results of experiment could provide experimental basis for channel embedded part with wide application in engineering.
Performance improvement of hydraulic lime based grouts for masonry consolidation: an experimental study

Grouting is currently a repair technique for consolidating and strengthening old masonry structures. Grouts can be seen as mixtures of binder with water, admixtures and/or additives, which should present low viscosity and high penetrability. The grout specification involves the knowledge of the flow capacity within the masonry inner core and physic-chemical compatibility with the original materials present in the historic structures. Nevertheless, the grout properties are affected by a large number of parameters, including binder type and composition, mixing procedure, admixture type and dosage, environmental conditions, like temperature that may lead to different grout injection capacities, as reported by other studies. This paper deals with the effect of environmental temperature over superplasticised hydraulic lime-based grouts with partial replacement of lime by silica fume. Grout performance was analysed in fresh and hardened state by testing its rheological and mechanical behaviour, as well as its hydration reactions kinetics. In spite of the considerable amount of information that exists for cement based mixtures with superplasticisers, there is little information about the effects of superplasticisers when used in natural hydraulic lime mixtures proportioned with silica fume. This study aims to contribute to better understand the behaviour that superplasticised hydraulic lime grouts present under different temperatures. The results showed that hydraulic lime grouts performance could be improved, regarding rheological parameters and strength capacity if they are properly design and a suitable processing temperature were ensured.
Correlation of Cell Counts and Indices in Testicular FNAC with Histology in Male Infertility

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the value of percentage cell counts and cell indices in testicular fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in male infertility and their correlation with histologic categories as seen in open testicular biopsies. STUDY DESIGN Differential cell counts were performed, and cell indices, including spermatic index, Sertoli cell index and sperm-Sertoli cell index, were calculated in testicular fine needle aspiration (FNA) smears in 30 azoospermic males whose open testicular biopsies were classified as normal spermatogenesis in 10 cases, maturation arrest in 5, hypospermatogenesis in 6, Sertoli cell only syndrome in 5 and tubular/peritubular sclerosis in 4. RESULTS In normal spermatogenesis, FNA smears showed up to 40% Sertoli cells, and spermatozoa were the predominant spermatogenetic cell type. There was a progressive increase in Sertoli cell percentage and Sertoli cell index and reduction in spermatozon percentage, spermatic index and sperm-Sertoli cell index with increasing severity of reduction in spermatogenesis in different histologic categories. The differences between mean counts and indices in normal spermatogenesis and other histologic categories were statistically significant (P < .01). CONCLUSION The percent cell counts and cell indices in testicular FNAC correlate with histologic categories and are useful in evaluating male infertility.
Characterization of Hepatitis Delta Virus in Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a satellite of hepatitis B virus (HBV), and infection with this virus aggravates acute and chronic liver disease. While HBV seroprevalence is very high across sub-Saharan Africa, much less is known about HDV in the region. In this study, almost 2,300 blood serum samples from Burkina Faso (n = 1,131), Nigeria (n = 974), Chad (n = 50), and the Central African Republic (n = 118) were screened for HBV and HDV. Among 743 HBsAg-positive serum samples, 74 were positive for HDV antibodies and/or HDV RNA, with considerable differences in prevalence, ranging from <2% (pregnant women from Burkina Faso) to 50% (liver patients from Central African Republic). HDV seems to be much more common in chronic liver disease patients in the Central African Republic (CAR) than in similar cohorts in Nigeria. In a large nested mother-child cohort in Burkina Faso, the prevalence of HDV antibodies was 10 times higher in the children than in their mothers, despite similar HBsAg prevalences, excluding vertical transmission as an important route of infection. The genotyping of 16 full-length and 8 partial HDV strains revealed clade 1 (17/24) in three of the four countries, while clades 5 (5/24) and 6 (2/24) were, at least in this study, confined to Central Nigeria. On the amino acid level, almost all our clade 1 strains exhibited a serine at position 202 in the hepatitis D antigen, supporting the hypothesis of an ancient African HDV-1 subgroup. Further studies are required to understand the public health significance of the highly varied HDV prevalences in different cohorts and countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Welcome Testing Factor-Model Explanations of Market Anomalies

A number of recent papers have attempted to explain the size and book-tomarket anomalies with either (1) factor models based on economically motivated factors, or (2) with conditional CAPM or CCAPMmodels with economically motivated conditioning variables. These papers use similar methodologies and similar test assets, and generally fail to reject the proposed models. We argue that these tests may fail to reject because of low statistical power of the tests against reasonable alternative hypotheses, rather than because the models are consistent with the data. We propose an alternative test methodology which provides higher power against reasonable alternative hypotheses, and show that the new test methodology results in the rejection of several of the proposed factor models at high levels of significance.
Soil pH as the chief modifier for regional nitrous oxide emissions: New evidence and implications for global estimates and mitigation

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas that also plays the primary role in stratospheric ozone depletion. The use of nitrogen fertilizers is known as the major reason for atmospheric N2O increase. Empirical bottom‐up models therefore estimate agricultural N2O inventories using N loading as the sole predictor, disregarding the regional heterogeneities in soil inherent response to external N loading. Several environmental factors have been found to influence the response in soil N2O emission to N fertilization, but their interdependence and relative importance have not been addressed properly. Here, we show that soil pH is the chief factor explaining regional disparities in N2O emission, using a global meta‐analysis of 1,104 field measurements. The emission factor (EF) of N2O increases significantly (p < .001) with soil pH decrease. The default EF value of 1.0%, according to IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) for agricultural soils, occurs at soil pH 6.76. Moreover, changes in EF with N fertilization (i.e. ΔEF) is also negatively correlated (p < .001) with soil pH. This indicates that N2O emission in acidic soils is more sensitive to changing N fertilization than that in alkaline soils. Incorporating our findings into bottom‐up models has significant consequences for regional and global N2O emission inventories and reconciling them with those from top‐down models. Moreover, our results allow region‐specific development of tailor‐made N2O mitigation measures in agriculture.
Aspergillus terreus Inhibits Growth and Induces Morphological Abnormalities in Pythium aphanidermatum and Suppresses Pythium-Induced Damping-Off of Cucumber

The study investigated the efficacy of two isolates of Aspergillus terreus (65P and 9F) on the growth, morphology and pathogenicity of Pythium aphanidermatum on cucumber. In vitro tests showed that the two isolates inhibited the growth of P. aphanidermatum in culture. Investigating P. aphanidermatum hyphae close to the inhibition zone showed that the hyphae showed abnormal growth and loss of internal content. Treating P. aphanidermatum with the culture filtrate (CF) of A. terreus resulted in significant rise in cellular leakage of P. aphanidermatum mycelium. Testing glucanase enzyme activity by both A. terreus isolates showed a significant increase in glucanase activity. This suggests that the cell walls of Pythium, which consist of glucan, are affected by the glucanase enzyme produced by A. terreus. In addition, Aspergillus isolates produced siderephore, which is suggested to be involved in inhibition of Pythium growth. Also, the CFs of 65P and 9F isolates significantly reduced spore production by P. aphanidermatum compared to the control (P < 0.05). In bioassay tests, the two isolates of A. terreus increased the survival rate of cucumber seedlings from 10 to 20% in the control seedlings treated with P. aphanidermatum to 38–39% when the biocontrol agents were used. No disease symptoms were observed on cucumber seedlings only treated with the isolates 65P and 9F of A. terreus. In addition, the A. terreus isolates did not have any negative effects on the growth of cucumber seedlings. This study shows that isolates of A. terreus can help suppress Pythium-induced damping-off of cucumber, which is suggested to be through the effect of A. terreus and its glucanase enzyme on P. aphanidermatum mycelium.
Modeling of Magnetizing Inrush and Internal Faults for Three-phase Transformers

Among the most noticeable root causes of improper performance in power transformers, internal short circuit faults can be noted and if not quickly be identified and addressed in the accepted time interval, irrecoverable damages such as interruption or even collapse of the network connected to the power transformer would happen. In this contribution, three-phase transformer behaviors under magnetizing inrush, internal short circuit condition and their current values determination have been surveyed using electromagnetic coupling model approach and structural finite element method. Utilizing the definition of transformer in the form of multi-coil and their electromagnetic and electric couple, a three dimensional geometric model of transformer is developed which includes nonlinear characteristics of the transformer, different states of normal and under internal short circuit occurrence and the moment of magnetizing inrush creation are investigated. The comparison between obtained results of presented model simulation with the consequences of practical studies on a typical three phase transformer reveals that the proposed model has a reliable accuracy in detection and modelling the transformer behavior in normal conditions, magnetizing inrush and different types of internal faults. The proposed approach represents an accurate model of a three-phase transformer for protection aims.
Appraising the outcome and complications of peritoneal dialysis patients in self-care peritoneal dialysis and assisted peritoneal dialysis: A 5-year review of a single Saudi center.

Our objective is to study the outcomes and complications of peritoneal dialysis (PD) including comparison of self-care PD with home-care assisted PD during a five-year period. A retrospective study of PD data at King Saud University-affiliated hospital in Riyadh from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2013. One hundred and eleven patients were included (female 55%). The average age was 47.4 (1-83) years. Twenty-one (18.91%) patients were on continuous ambulatory PD and 90 (81.08%) on automated PD. The mean time on PD was 23.5 (3-60) months. At the end of five years, 47 (42.34%) patients were continuing on PD, 12 (10.81%) had renal transplant, 33 (29.73%) patients were transferred to hemodialysis, and two (1.8%) patients were transferred to other centers. Seventeen patients died during this period giving a mortality rate of 7.13 deaths/100 patient-year during the five-year period. Six patients died due to cardiovascular causes, while five had sepsis. There was one death each due to prostate cancer, hyperoxaluria, and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Three patients died suddenly at home. Peritonitis rate was one episode/35.28 patient/month or one episode/2.94 patient/year. We compared the results for patients doing the dialysis themselves [56 (50.45%)] "self-care PD" to 55 (49.5%) patients assisted by a family member or other caregivers "assisted PD. " We found no significant difference in the incidence of complications, technical outcome, mortality, and peritonitis episodes. However, we found a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and significant increase in exit site infection in assisted PD. Our study suggests that PD patients in Saudi Arabia have a good overall outcome. Furthermore, assisted PD showed good patient and technique outcome.
Associations between ABCG2 gene polymorphisms and gefitinib toxicity in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

Background Gefitinib is frequently used to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is excreted out from cells via the ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCG2. ABCG2 gene polymorphisms have been suggested to be associated with ABCG2 protein expression and function and may influence the risk of gefitinib toxicity in NSCLC patients. Previous studies on the associations between ABCG2 gene polymorphisms and the toxicity of gefitinib in NSCLC patients have produced conflicting results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine whether ABCG2 gene polymorphisms are associated with the risk of gefitinib-induced toxicity in NSCLC patients. Methods The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched systematically for all eligible studies. A relative risk with corresponding 95% CI was calculated to evaluate the associations between ABCG2 gene polymorphisms and gefitinib-induced toxicity. Results Data were finally extracted from seven studies and 515 patients were found to meet the inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis. A dominant model showed that there was no significant association between the ABCG2 C421A polymorphism and the risk of gefitinib-induced toxicity, while the ABCG2 G34A polymorphism might be associated with an increased risk of skin toxicity in gefitinib therapy (relative risk =1.54, 95% CI 1.08–2.21, P=0.02). However, more reliable data are required to confirm the associations between the ABCG2 C421A and ABCG2 G34A polymorphisms and the toxicity of gefitinib in NSCLC patients. Conclusion While the ABCG2 C421A polymorphism might not be a reliable marker of gefitinib-related toxicity, the ABCG2 G34A genotype may be predictive of the skin toxicity of gefitinib in NSCLC patients. These conclusions need to be verified in further large-scale studies.
El Niño Southern Oscillation influences the abundance and movements of a marine top predator in coastal waters

Large‐scale climate modes such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influence population dynamics in many species, including marine top predators. However, few quantitative studies have investigated the influence of large‐scale variability on resident marine top predator populations. We examined the effect of climate variability on the abundance and temporary emigration of a resident bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) population off Bunbury, Western Australia (WA). This population has been studied intensively over six consecutive years (2007–2013), yielding a robust dataset that captures seasonal variations in both abundance and movement patterns. In WA, ENSO affects the strength of the Leeuwin Current (LC), the dominant oceanographic feature in the region. The strength and variability of the LC affects marine ecosystems and distribution of top predator prey. We investigated the relationship between dolphin abundance and ENSO, Southern Annular Mode, austral season, rainfall, sea surface salinity and sea surface temperature (SST). Linear models indicated that dolphin abundance was significantly affected by ENSO, and that the magnitude of the effect was dependent upon season. Dolphin abundance was lowest during winter 2009, when dolphins had high temporary emigration rates out of the study area. This coincided with the single El Niño event that occurred throughout the study period. Coupled with this event, there was a negative anomaly in SST and an above average rainfall. These conditions may have affected the distribution of dolphin prey, resulting in the temporary emigration of dolphins out of the study area in search of adequate prey. This study demonstrated the local effects of large‐scale climatic variations on the short‐term response of a resident, coastal delphinid species. With a projected global increase in frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, resident marine top predators may not only have to contend with increasing coastal anthropogenic activities, but also have to adapt to large‐scale climatic changes.