Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interface Mobility Under Different Driving Forces

We used an Ising model to determine whether boundary mobility is an intrinsic material parameter or if it depends on the nature of the driving force for boundary migration. The simulations included both capillarity and external field-driven boundary migration. The external field-driven, flat boundary simulations showed that boundary mobility depends strongly on boundary inclination at low temperature but not at high temperature. On the other hand, the boundary mobility in capillarity-driven migration shows no dependence on boundary inclination and is independent of the boundary migration geometry. An initially circular grain shrinks as a circle and a half-loop boundary retracts with profiles predicted under the assumption that the boundary mobility is isotropic during capillarity-driven migration even when the temperature is very low and the external-field-driven boundary migration is extremely anisotropic. However, when an external field is superimposed on the capillarity driven migration of the circular boundary, the circular grain exhibits well-defined corners consistent with the simulation lattice symmetry. In this case, the boundary mobility is much different than if the external field were omitted. This is a clear demonstration that the boundary mobility can depend on the nature of the driving force for boundary migration.
Self-Segregation or Deliberation? Blog Readership, Participation, and Polarization in American Politics

Political scientists and political theorists debate the relationship between participation and deliberation among citizens with different political viewpoints. Blogs provide an important testing ground for their claims. We examine deliberation, polarization, and political participation among blog readers. We find that blog readers gravitate toward blogs that accord with their political beliefs. Few read blogs on both the left and right of the ideological spectrum. Furthermore, those who read left-wing blogs and those who read right-wing blogs are ideologically far apart. Blog readers are more polarized than either non-blog-readers or consumers of various television news programs, and roughly as polarized as US senators. Blog readers also participate more in politics than non-blog readers. Readers of blogs of different ideological dispositions do not participate less than those who read only blogs of one ideological disposition. Instead, readers of both left- and right-wing blogs and readers of exclusively leftwing blogs participate at similar levels, and both participate more than readers of exclusively right-wing blogs. This may reflect social movement-building efforts by left-wing bloggers.
Supplementation Strategies to Reduce Waste in Beef Cattle Systems

Some often cited reasons why both grain and forage prices are and will continue to be high include utilizing corn for ethanol production and the pressure corn grain prices placed on shifting other crop and forage land to corn grain production. Yet, current times of increased income present an ideal opportunity to improve resource management. This will be necessary to permit continued profit under increased input costs and high volatility — the new norm in livestock production conditions. Since 2006, yearly variability (coefficient of variation) in corn grain prices recorded for NW Iowa (starting in October of the year) ranged from 8.4% to 20%. In the same period, variability in prices of dry distillers’ grains and for the same region ranged from 8.2% to 24%. Forage price and price variation were not immune to these changes. Prices and volatility of good and fair quality bermudagrass hay in the Southeast have been markedly affected since 2005 (Figure 1; https://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/lshome).
Dendritic Cells, Antibodies Reactive with oxLDL, and Inflammation

Periodontitis appears to promote chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, but relevant mechanisms need clarification. Oral bacteria induce antibodies that bind not only bacteria, but also oxLDL. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans induce remarkable IgG responses that are dominated by IgG2, and IgG2 is IFN-γ-dependent and is promoted by dendritic cells (DCs). LDL-reactive antibodies induced by P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans include anti-phosphorylcholine (α-PC) and β2-glycoprotein-1-dependent anticardiolipin (α-CL), and these antibodies may link chronic inflammatory diseases at a mechanistic level. Antibody-mediated uptake of oxLDL or bacteria dramatically enhances DC-IL-12, and DC-IL-12 induces NK-cell-IFN-γ responses that promote Th-1 responses and sustained inflammation. DCs may be derived from monocytes, and this is striking in cultures of aggressive periodontitis (AgP) monocytes, where DC numbers are about double control levels. Moreover, serum α-CL levels in individuals with AgP are frequently elevated, and these antibodies promote atherosclerosis in persons with antiphospholipid syndrome. Elevated serum levels of soluble-intercellular adhesion molecule, soluble-vascular cell adhesion molecule, and soluble-E-selectin are atherosclerosis-associated indicators of vascular inflammation, and these markers are elevated in the subset of AgP patients with high α-CL. We reason that periodontitis patients with elevated antibodies reactive with oxLDL could be a subgroup at high risk for cardiovascular sequelae.
Host structural carbohydrate induces vector transmission of a bacterial plant pathogen

Many insect-borne pathogens have complex life histories because they must colonize both hosts and vectors for successful dissemination. In addition, the transition from host to vector environments may require changes in gene expression before the pathogen's departure from the host. Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited plant-pathogenic bacterium transmitted by leafhopper vectors that causes diseases in a number of economically important plants. We hypothesized that factors of host origin, such as plant structural polysaccharides, are important in regulating X. fastidiosa gene expression and mediating vector transmission of this pathogen. The addition of pectin and glucan to a simple defined medium resulted in dramatic changes in X. fastidiosa's phenotype and gene-expression profile. Cells grown in the presence of pectin became more adhesive than in other media tested. In addition, the presence of pectin and glucan in media resulted in significant changes in the expression of several genes previously identified as important for X. fastidiosa's pathogenicity in plants. Furthermore, vector transmission of X. fastidiosa was induced in the presence of both polysaccharides. Our data show that host structural polysaccharides mediate gene regulation in X. fastidiosa, which results in phenotypic changes required for vector transmission. A better understanding of how vector-borne pathogens transition from host to vector, and vice versa, may lead to previously undiscovered disease-control strategies.
Effects of Diet on Responses to Hypoxia in Sturgeon (Acipenser Naccarii)

Summary We investigated the effects of a diet enriched in omega-3 (a>3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and vitamin E on responses of sturgeon (Acipenser rwccarii) to hypoxia. After 3 months of feeding, there were significant increases in a>3 PUFA in liver and muscle, and of vitamin E in muscle, of fish fed the enriched diet (ED) compared with fish on a standard diet (SD), indicating that tissue composition is influenced by diet. Acute exposure to hypoxia (lOmin at 10.8 kPa water O2 tension, PwoJ had no effect on oxygen consumption (VoJ, increased gill ventilation frequency (/G) and reduced arterial blood O2 content (CaoJ in both dietary groups, but ED sturgeon exhibited a significantly smaller decrease in Ca^ than did SD animals. Progressive hypoxic exposure (Pwch decreasing gradually from 20.5 to 3.6 kPa within 45-60 min) led to a significant increase in VOz at intermediate levels of PwO2 in SD sturgeon that was not seen in ED animals. Furthermore, ED sturgeon showed no significant reduction in arterial plasma pH (pHa) and Ca ^ at PW02 levels that caused significant reductions in these variables in SD sturgeon. ED sturgeon exhibited a smaller increase in plasma lactate level than did SD fish. We suggest that PUFA and/or vitamin E contribute significantly to regulation of metabolism in hypoxia.
Antibacterial and preliminary phytochemical and physico-chemical analysis of Eucalyptus citriodora Hk leaf

The present communication deals with some studies on the antibacterial, physico-chemical and phytochemical parameters of different extracts of Eucalyptus citriodora leaf. The antibacterial study was performed using the agar ditch method on some clinically important bacteria, namely Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes, Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter freundii, Staphylococcus subflava, Bacillus megaterium, and Enterobacter aerogenes. Physico-chemical parameters namely water, methanol, 1,4-dioxane, DMF, acetone soluble extractives, total ash, melting point, and pH were determined according to pharmacopoeial procedures. Methanol gave the maximum extract while it was minimum in water. Phytochemical parameters were screened for alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, saponins, steroids and flavonoids. Tannins and flavonoids gave positive results, while steroids and glycosides were absent. The most susceptible bacteria was C. freundii, while the most resistant was P. vulgaris.
Expression of Stimulated by Retinoic Acid Gene 8 (Stra8) and Maturation of Murine Gonocytes and Spermatogonia Induced by Retinoic Acid In Vitro1

Abstract Vitamin A deficiency in the mouse results in an arrest in the progression of undifferentiated spermatogonia to differentiating spermatogonia. The supplement of retinol to vitamin-A-deficient mice reinitiates spermatogenesis in a synchronous manner throughout the testes. It is unclear whether the effects of retinoids are the result of a direct action on germ cells or are indirectly mediated through Sertoli cells. The expression of Stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8), which is required for spermatogenesis, is directly related to the availability of retinoic acid (RA). Analysis of gene expression by microarrays revealed moderate levels of Stra8 transcript in gonocytes and high levels in A and B spermatogonia. Stra8 mRNA levels were greatly reduced or absent in germ cells once they entered meiosis. This study examined the effect of retinoic acid on cultured neonatal testes and isolated gonocytes/spermatogonia in vitro. THY1+ and KIT+ germ cells were isolated by magnetic-activated cell sorting from the testes of mice of different ages. Isolated germ cells were cultured and treated with either vehicle (ethanol) or RA without feeder cells. We found that 1) Stra8 is predominantly expressed in premeiotic germ cells, 2) RA stimulates gonocyte DNA replication and differentiation in cultured neonatal testes, 3) in the absence of feeder cells, RA directly induces the transition of undifferentiated spermatogonia to differentiating spermatogonia by stimulating Stra8 and Kit gene expression, 4) RA dramatically stimulates Stra8 expression in undifferentiated spermatogonia but has a lesser impact in differentiating spermatogonia, 5) endogenous Stra8 gene expression is higher in differentiating spermatogonia than in undifferentiated spermatogonia and could mediate the RA effects on spermatogonial maturation, and 6) RA stimulates a group of genes involved in the metabolism, storage, transport, and signaling of retinoids.
Echistatin is a potent inhibitor of bone resorption in culture

The venom protein, s-echistatin, originally derived from the saw-scaled viper Echis carinatus, was found to be a potent inhibitor of bone resorption by isolated osteoclasts. This Arg24-Gly25-Asp26-(RGD)- containing protein inhibited the excavation of bone slices by rat osteoclasts (IC50 = 0.1 nM). It also inhibited the release of [3H]proline from labeled bone particles by chicken osteoclasts (IC50 = 100 nM). By comparison, the tetrapeptide Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) inhibited resorption by rat or chicken osteoclasts with an IC50 of 0.1 mM while ala24-echistatin was inactive. Video microscopy showed that rat osteoclast attachment to substrate was more sensitive to s- echistatin than was the attachment of mononuclear cells or chicken osteoclasts. The difference in sensitivity of rat and chicken osteoclasts to s-echistatin may be due to differences between receptors on rat and chicken osteoclasts for s-echistatin. Antibody localization of echistatin on these cells showed much greater echistatin binding to rat osteoclasts than to chicken osteoclasts. Laser scanning confocal microscopy after immunohistochemical staining showed that s-echistatin binds to osteoclasts, that s-echistatin receptors are most abundant at the osteoclast/glass interface, and that s-echistatin colocalizes with vinculin. Confocal interference reflection microscopy of osteoclasts incubated with s-echistatin, demonstrated colocalization of s- echistatin with the outer edges of clusters of grey contacts at the tips of some lamellipodia. Identification of the echistatin receptor as an integrin was confirmed by colocalization of echistatin fluorescence with staining for an alpha-like subunit. Attachment of bone particles labeled with [3H]proline to chicken osteoclasts confirmed that the mechanism of action of echistatin was to inhibit osteoclast binding to bone presumably by disrupting adhesion structures. These data demonstrate that osteoclasts bind to bone via an RGD-sequence as an obligatory step in bone resorption, that this RGD-binding integrin is at adhesion structures, and that it colocalizes with vinculin and has an alpha-like subunit.
Differential Brain Development with Low and High IQ in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and intelligence (IQ) are both heritable phenotypes. Overlapping genetic effects have been suggested to influence both, with neuroimaging work suggesting similar overlap in terms of morphometric properties of the brain. Together, this evidence suggests that the brain changes characteristic of ADHD may vary as a function of IQ. This study investigated this hypothesis in a sample of 108 children with ADHD and 106 typically developing controls, who participated in a cross-sectional anatomical MRI study. A subgroup of 64 children also participated in a diffusion tensor imaging scan. Brain volumes, local cortical thickness and average cerebral white matter microstructure were analyzed in relation to diagnostic group and IQ. Dimensional analyses investigated possible group differences in the relationship between anatomical measures and IQ. Second, the groups were split into above and below median IQ subgroups to investigate possible differences in the trajectories of cortical development. Dimensionally, cerebral gray matter volume and cerebral white matter microstructure were positively associated with IQ for controls, but not for ADHD. In the analyses of the below and above median IQ subgroups, we found no differences from controls in cerebral gray matter volume in ADHD with below-median IQ, but a delay of cortical development in a number of regions, including prefrontal areas. Conversely, in ADHD with above-median IQ, there were significant reductions from controls in cerebral gray matter volume, but no local differences in the trajectories of cortical development. In conclusion, the basic relationship between IQ and neuroanatomy appears to be altered in ADHD. Our results suggest that there may be multiple brain phenotypes associated with ADHD, where ADHD combined with above median IQ is characterized by small, more global reductions in brain volume that are stable over development, whereas ADHD with below median IQ is associated more with a delay of cortical development.
Joint Custody in the Italian Courts

This paper studies the impact of the introduction of joint custody in Italy (Law 54/2006) on judiciary outcomes. As to the formal (legal) assignment of joint custody, the reform envisaged very little judge discretion. With reference to the substance of the custody (the amount of time each parent spends with the child and the money involved in post-dissolution arrangements), the law established new principles while leaving plenty of implementation power to the judges. Our results – based on court data that covers the universe of separations from 2000 to 2010 – document that the law was only cosmetically applied by the judges. Compared to the prereform regime, the share of sole legal custody assignments to the mother drastically decreased. However, court implementation washed out the new principles: the provisions of the law related to the financial postseparation arrangements remained unapplied. This suggests that the main innovative aspect of the law – the possibility for a child to spend an adequate amount of time with both parents – was also left unchanged with respect to the previous regime of sole maternal custody. As joint effect of the introduction of the law and the little degree to which the new principles have been translated into actual verdicts, there was a surge in litigiousness among separating spouses and judicial inefficiency. Moreover, the incentives for a female partner to apply for a separation raised. The paper discusses a possible rationale for the findings and some related policy remedies. As for the former, the evidence we present can be explained by the adoption of genderbiased judiciary practices. As for the latter, our results suggest that a restatement of the law, to define a narrowed grid of prescriptions that constrain judge discretion, could be an effective corrective action.
Mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells with granulocyte colony stimulating factors for autologous transplant in hematologic malignancies: a single center experience

Background In 2006 the Hematology Service of Hospital Maciel published its experience with peripheral blood progenitor cell harvesting for autologous stem cell transplantation using Filgen JP (Clausen Filgrastim). After mobilization with a mean filgrastim dose of 78 mcg/Kg, 4.7 x 106 CD34+ cells/Kg were obtained by apheresis. Age above 50, multiple myeloma as underlying disease and a malignancy that was not in remission were identified as frequent characteristics among patients showing complex mobilization. Objective The aim of this study was to compare stem cell mobilization using different brands of filgrastim. Methods One hundred and fifty-seven mobilizations performed between 1997 and 2006 were analyzed. This retrospective analysis comparative two groups of patients: those mobilized with different brands of filgrastim (Group A) and those who received Filgen JP (Clausen Filgrastim) as mobilizing agent (Group B). A cluster analysis technique was used to identify four clusters of individuals with different behaviors differentiated by age, total dose of filgrastim required, number of apheresis and harvested CD34+ cells. Results The mean total dose of filgrastim administered was 105 mcg/Kg, the median number of apheresis was 2 procedures and the mean number of harvested stem cells was 4.98 x 106 CD34+ cells/Kg. No significant differences were observed between Groups A and B regarding the number of apheresis, harvested CD34+ cells and number of mobilization failures, however the total dose of filgrastim was significantly lower in Group B. Conclusions Among other factors, the origin of the cytokine used as mobilizing agent is an element to be considered when evaluating CD34+ cell mobilization results.
A semiparametric approach for marker gene selection based on gene expression data

MOTIVATION Identification of differentially expressed genes is a major issue in gene expression data analysis and selection of marker genes is critical in tumor classification using gene expression data. In this paper, we propose a semiparametric two-sample test to identify both differentially expressed genes and select marker genes for sample classification. RESULTS A simulation study shows that the proposed method is more robust and powerful than the methods, generally used such as t-tests and non-parametric rank-sum tests, when the sample size is small. Cross-validation shows that the sample classification based on genes selected using this semiparametric method has lower misclassification rates. CONTACT hongyu.zhao@yale.edu.
On the use of cellular automata algorithm for the atomic-based simulation of carbon nanotubes

A new method is developed for the simulation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based on the molecular mechanics (MM) and cellular automata (CA) algorithms. The proposed atomic-based CA algorithm (ACAA) is as accurate as the MM method, but much faster for the simulation of CNTs. In the ACAA model, a CNT is treated as a discrete system in which the interaction between atoms is described by using Tersoff–Brenner's many-body potential, but the solution framework is based on the conventional continuum mechanics. The buckling and post-buckling behaviours of defective CNTs are studied by using the ACAA. The numerical results show that the buckling occurs at the vacancy defect site. This phenomenon indicates that vacancy defects lead to a geometrical imperfection of CNTs. The study demonstrates that vacancy defects can significantly reduce the buckling load of CNTs.
The open anterior paramedian retroperitoneal approach for spine procedures.

HYPOTHESIS With the advent of anterior lumbar interbody fusion and artificial disk replacement as common procedures for the treatment of many spinal problems, anterior exposure has become an increasingly popular procedure for general, thoracic, urologic, and vascular surgeons. Despite this, the body of literature describing this procedure, especially the general and vascular surgery literature, is lacking. DESIGN A retrospective review of medical records was performed for patients operated on from April 2002 to March 2004. SETTING Tertiary care university hospital. PATIENTS In total, 64 open retroperitoneal exposures for anterior spinal approaches were performed. Thirty-five (55%) were performed on men and 29 (45%) on women. INTERVENTIONS Fifty patients (78%) required lumbosacral approaches, and 14 (22%) required access to purely lumbar disk spaces. Forty-three patients underwent single-disk approaches, and 21 required access to either 2 or 3 levels. Forty patients (63%) underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion, and 22 (34%) had a Prodisc disk replacement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We analyzed intraoperative and early postoperative complications. RESULTS The average age was 43 years (range, 25-89 years), 42 and 44 years for men and women, respectively. Ninety-seven percent of all attempted retroperitoneal exposures were successful. Intraoperative complications occurred in 5 patients (8%) and included inability to mobilize the iliac veins, injury to the iliac vein, and ureteral tear. The postoperative course was complicated in 8 patients (14%) and included fever, urinary retention, spinal headache, Clostridium difficile colitis, and ileus. CONCLUSION Open retroperitoneal exposure to the lumbar and lumbosacral vertebral bodies can be performed safely with a multidisciplinary approach that maximizes the various surgical skills of the orthopedic and vascular or general surgeon, reducing complication rates in anterior spinal surgery.