Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microstructural Evolution and Creep of an Al-0.2wt.%Sc Alloy after Equal-Channel Angular Pressing

Experiments were conducted on an Al-0.2wt. %Sc alloy to evaluate the effect of equalchannel angular pressing (ECAP) on its creep behaviour. ECAP was conducted at room temperature with a die that had an internal angle of 90° between the two parts of the channel. The subsequent extrusion passes were performed by route BC up to 8 ECAP passes. Creep tests in tension were performed on the as-pressed samples at 473 K under an applied stress range between 10 to 50 MPa. For comparison purposes, some creep tests were performed also on the unpressed alloy. Following ECAP and creep testing, samples were prepared for examination by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) unit. The observation of the surface of the ECAPed samples after creep exposure showed the occurrence of mesoscopic shear bands. The EBSD data reveal that these bands are separated by high angle grain boundaries. The creep resistance of an alloy is a little decreased after one ECAP pass. However, successive ECAP pressing lead to a noticeable decrease of the creep properties. Thus, the Al-0.2wt. %Sc alloy processed by 8 ECAP passes exhibited faster creep rate by about two and/or three orders of magnitude than the unpressed alloy when creep testing at 473 K and at the same applied stress. The detrimental effect of ECAP on the creep resistance is probably a consequence of a synergetic effect of mesoscopic sliding of groups of grains along shear bands, more intensive grain boundary sliding and creep cavitation in creep of the ultrafine-grained material.
Intrarenal Dopamine D1-Like Receptor Stimulation Induces Natriuresis via an Angiotensin Type-2 Receptor Mechanism

We explored the effects of direct renal interstitial stimulation of dopamine D1-like receptors with fenoldopam, a selective D1-like receptor agonist, on renal sodium excretion and angiotensin type-2 (AT2) receptor expression and cellular distribution in rats on a high-sodium intake. In contrast to vehicle-infused rats, sodium excretion increased in fenoldopam-infused rats during each of three 1-hour experimental periods (<0.001). Blood pressure was unaffected by vehicle or fenoldopam. In plasma membranes of renal cortical cells, fenoldopam increased D1 receptor expression by 38% (P<0.05) and AT2 receptor expression by 69% (P<0.01). In plasma membranes of renal proximal tubule cells, fenoldopam increased AT2 receptor expression by 108% (P<0.01). In outer apical membranes of proximal tubule cells, fenoldopam increased AT2 receptor expression by 59% (P<0.01). No significant change in total AT2 receptor protein expression was detectable in response to fenoldopam. Fenoldopam-induced natriuresis was abolished when either PD-123319, a specific AT2 receptor antagonist, or SCH-23390, a potent D1-like receptor antagonist, was coinfused with F (P<0.001). In summary, direct renal D1-like receptor activation increased urinary sodium excretion and the plasma membrane expression of AT2 receptors in renal cortical and proximal tubule cells. D1-like receptor–induced natriuresis was abolished by intrarenal AT2 receptor inhibition. These findings suggest that dopaminergic regulation of sodium excretion involves recruitment of AT2 receptors to the outer plasma membranes of renal proximal tubule cells and that dopamine-induced natriuresis requires AT2 receptor activation.
TargetRNA2: identifying targets of small regulatory RNAs in bacteria

Many small, noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria act as posttranscriptional regulators of messenger RNAs. TargetRNA2 is a web server that identifies mRNA targets of sRNA regulatory action in bacteria. As input, TargetRNA2 takes the sequence of an sRNA and the name of a sequenced bacterial replicon. When searching for targets of RNA regulation, TargetRNA2 uses a variety of features, including conservation of the sRNA in other bacteria, the secondary structure of the sRNA, the secondary structure of each candidate mRNA target and the hybridization energy between the sRNA and each candidate mRNA target. TargetRNA2 outputs a ranked list of likely regulatory targets for the input sRNA. When evaluated on a comprehensive set of sRNA-target interactions, TargetRNA2 was found to be both accurate and efficient in identifying targets of sRNA regulatory action. Furthermore, TargetRNA2 has the ability to integrate RNA-seq data, if available. If an sRNA is differentially expressed in two or more RNA-seq experiments, TargetRNA2 considers co-differential gene expression when searching for regulatory targets, significantly improving the accuracy of target identifications. The TargetRNA2 web server is freely available for use at http://cs.wellesley. edu/∼btjaden/TargetRNA2.
Fatalistic Beliefs about Cancer Prevention and Three Prevention Behaviors

Background: A substantial proportion of US adults hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. Although evidence suggests that fatalistic beliefs discourage people from engaging in screening behaviors that can reduce their cancer risk, far less is known about associations between cancer fatalism and other prevention behaviors. We examined sociodemographic correlates of these beliefs and their associations with regular exercise, smoking, and fruit and vegetable consumption with a national sample of American adults. Methods: Data were analyzed from the first wave of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2003). HINTS used random-digit dialing to complete phone interviews with adult Americans (N = 6,369). Results: Nearly half of respondents (47.1%) agreed that “It seems like almost everything causes cancer,” 27.0% agreed that “There's not much people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer,” and 71.5% agreed that “There are so many recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow. ” These beliefs were stronger in subjects who were less educated but generally weaker among both African Americans and Hispanics relative to Whites. Fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention were negatively associated with exercising weekly, not smoking, and eating five or more fruits and vegetables daily in multivariate analysis controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusions: Americans who hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention may be at greater risk of cancer because they are less likely to engage in various prevention behaviors. Results have notable implications for future cancer communication and education efforts. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(5):998–1003)
Revisiting the Structure of the Short Dark Triad

In the past decade, extensive interest has been directed toward the Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy), popularly assessed by the Short Dark Triad (SD3). Nevertheless, relatively little research has been conducted on the SD3’s factor structure. We investigated the SD3’s psychometric properties in three studies with three independent samples, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (N1 = 1,487; N2 = 17,740; N3 = 496). In all three studies, Machiavellianism and psychopathy items displayed large general factor loadings, and narcissism larger specific factor loadings. In subsequent studies, two- and three-factor models fitted the data similarly, with the best fitting model being a bifactor model with items from Machiavellianism and psychopathy modelled as one specific factor, and narcissism as a second specific factor. On this basis, we suggest that the SD3 does not seem to capture the different mental processes theorized to underlie the similar behaviors generated by Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Additionally, we recommend the use of a single SD3 composite score, and not subscale scores, as subscales contain small amounts of reliable variance beyond the general factor.
Mapping a Fault-Tolerant Distributed Algorithm to Systems on Chip

Systems on chip (SoC) have much in common with traditional (networked) distributed systems in that they consist of largely independent components with dedicated communication interfaces. Therefore the adoption of classic distributed algorithms for SoCs suggests itself. The implementation complexity of these algorithms, however, significantly depends on the underlying failure models. In traditional software-based solutions this is normally not an issue, such that the most unconstrained, namely the Byzantine, failure model is often applied here. Our case study of a hardware implemented tick synchronization algorithm shows, however, that in an SoC-implementation substantial hardware savings can result from restricting the failure model to benign failures (omissions, crashes). On the downside, it turns out that such restricted failure models have a fairly poor coverage with respect to the hardware faults occurring in practice, and that additional measures to enforce these restrictions may entail an implementation overhead that outweighs the gain obtained in the implementation of a simpler algorithm. As a remedy we investigate the potential of failure transformation in this context and show that this technique may indeed yield an optimized overall solution.
Campylobacter jejuni acquire new host-derived CRISPR spacers when in association with bacteriophages harboring a CRISPR-like Cas4 protein

Campylobacter jejuni is a worldwide cause of human diarrhoeal disease. Clustered Repetitively Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) and associated proteins allow Bacteria and Archaea to evade bacteriophage and plasmid infection. Type II CRISPR systems are found in association with combinations of genes encoding the CRISPR-associated Cas1, Cas2, Cas4 or Csn2, and Cas9 proteins. C. jejuni possesses a minimal subtype II-C CRISPR system containing cas1, cas2, and cas9 genes whilst cas4 is notably absent. Cas4 proteins possess 5′-3′ exonuclease activity to create recombinogenic-ends for spacer acquisition. Here we report a conserved Cas4-like protein in Campylobacter bacteriophages that creates a novel split arrangement between the bacteriophage and host that represents a new twist in the bacteriophage/host co-evolutionary arms race. The continuous association of bacteriophage and host in the carrier state life cycle of C. jejuni provided an opportunity to study spacer acquisition in this species. Remarkably all the spacer sequences observed were of host origin. We hypothesize that Campylobacter bacteriophages can use Cas4-like protein to activate spacer acquisition to use host DNA as an effective decoy to bacteriophage DNA. Bacteria that acquire self-spacers and escape phage infection must overcome CRISPR-mediated autoimmunity either by loss of the interference functions leaving them susceptible to foreign DNA incursion or tolerate changes in gene regulation.
The Complete Genome Sequence of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis IP31758, the Causative Agent of Far East Scarlet-Like Fever

The first reported Far East scarlet-like fever (FESLF) epidemic swept the Pacific coastal region of Russia in the late 1950s. Symptoms of the severe infection included erythematous skin rash and desquamation, exanthema, hyperhemic tongue, and a toxic shock syndrome. The term FESLF was coined for the infection because it shares clinical presentations with scarlet fever caused by group A streptococci. The causative agent was later identified as Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, although the range of morbidities was vastly different from classical pseudotuberculosis symptoms. To understand the origin and emergence of the peculiar clinical features of FESLF, we have sequenced the genome of the FESLF-causing strain Y. pseudotuberculosis IP31758 and compared it with that of another Y. pseudotuberculosis strain, IP32953, which causes classical gastrointestinal symptoms. The unique gene pool of Y pseudotuberculosis IP31758 accounts for more than 260 strain-specific genes and introduces individual physiological capabilities and virulence determinants, with a significant proportion horizontally acquired that likely originated from Enterobacteriaceae and other soil-dwelling bacteria that persist in the same ecological niche. The mobile genome pool includes two novel plasmids phylogenetically unrelated to all currently reported Yersinia plasmids. An icm/dot type IVB secretion system, shared only with the intracellular persisting pathogens of the order Legionellales, was found on the larger plasmid and could contribute to scarlatinoid fever symptoms in patients due to the introduction of immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive capabilities. We determined the common and unique traits resulting from genome evolution and speciation within the genus Yersinia and drew a more accurate species border between Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis. In contrast to the lack of genetic diversity observed in the evolutionary young descending Y. pestis lineage, the population genetics of Y. pseudotuberculosis is more heterogenous. Both Y. pseudotuberculosis strains IP31758 and the previously sequenced Y. pseudotuberculosis strain IP32953 have evolved by the acquisition of specific plasmids and by the horizontal acquisition and incorporation of different genetic information into the chromosome, which all together or independently seems to potentially impact the phenotypic adaptation of these two strains.
Spatial updating of locations specified by 3-d sound and spatial language.

Blind and blindfolded sighted observers were presented with auditory stimuli specifying target locations. The stimulus was either sound from a loudspeaker or spatial language (e.g., "2 o'clock, 16 ft"). On each trial, an observer attempted to walk to the target location along a direct or indirect path. The ability to mentally keep track of the target location without concurrent perceptual information about it (spatial updating) was assessed in terms of the separation between the stopping points for the 2 paths. Updating performance was very nearly the same for the 2 modalities, indicating that once an internal representation of a location has been determined, subsequent updating performance is nearly independent of the modality used to specify the representation.
Before and below ‘theory of mind’: embodied simulation and the neural correlates of social cognition

The automatic translation of folk psychology into newly formed brain modules specifically dedicated to mind-reading and other social cognitive abilities should be carefully scrutinized. Searching for the brain location of intentions, beliefs and desires—as such—might not be the best epistemic strategy to disclose what social cognition really is. The results of neurocognitive research suggest that in the brain of primates, mirror neurons, and more generally the premotor system, play a major role in several aspects of social cognition, from action and intention understanding to language processing. This evidence is presented and discussed within the theoretical frame of an embodied simulation account of social cognition. Embodied simulation and the mirror neuron system underpinning it provide the means to share communicative intentions, meaning and reference, thus granting the parity requirements of social communication.
Characteristics and associated anomalies in radial ray deficiencies in Finland—A population‐based study

Upper‐limb defects with deficiencies of the radial ray have varying etiologies, with a low proportion of true Mendelian disorders. We carried out a population‐based study to elucidate the birth prevalence and clinical spectrum of radial ray deficiencies in Finland. We identified all births with radial ray deficiency reported to the Finnish Register of Congenital Malformations in 1993–2005. Altogether 138 cases were identified (123 live births), with a birth prevalence of 1.83 per 10,000 births and a live birth prevalence of 1.64 per 10,000 live births. The proportion of infant deaths was as high as 35%. The majority of the cases were associated with known syndromes or multiple anomalies; only 13% were true isolated radial ray deficiencies. The most common syndrome was trisomy 18, and the most common in multiple anomalies was VACTERL association. In 8.7% of cases an association between radial ray deficiency and heart anomaly was observed. The high proportion of cases with associated major anomalies indicates that radial ray deficiency can be regarded isolated only after thorough assessment of the various organ systems in an affected infant. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pharmacokinetic Comparison of Ferulic Acid in Normal and Blood Deficiency Rats after Oral Administration of Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong and Their Combination

Radix Angelica Sinensis (RAS) and Rhizome Ligusticum (RLC) combination is a popular herb pair commonly used in clinics for treatment of blood deficiency syndrome in China. The aim of this study is to compare the pharmacokinetic properties of ferulic acid (FA), a main bioactive constituent in both RAS and RLC, between normal and blood deficiency syndrome animals, and to investigate the influence of compatibility of RAS and RLC on the pharmacokinetic of FA. The blood deficiency rats were induced by injecting 2% Acetyl phenylhydrazine (APH) on the first day, every other day, to a total of five times, at the dosage of 100, 50, 50, 30, 30 mg/kg body mass, respectively. Quantification of FA in rat plasma was achieved by using a simple and rapid HPLC method. Plasma samples were collected at different time points to construct pharmacokinetic profiles by plotting drug concentration versus time, and estimate pharmacokinetic parameters. Between normal and blood deficiency model groups, both AUC(0–t) and Cmax of FA in blood deficiency rats after RAS-RLC extract administration increased significantly (P < 0.05), while clearance (CL) decreased significantly. Among three blood deficiency model groups, t1/2α, Vd, AUC(0–t) and AUC(0–∞) all increased significantly in the RAS-RLC extract group compared with the RAS group. The results indicated that FA was absorbed better and eliminated slower in blood deficiency rats; RLC could significantly prolong the half-life of distribution, increase the volume of distribution and the absorption amount of FA of RAS in blood deficiency rats, which may be due to the synergic action when RAS and RLC were used together to treat blood deficiency syndrome.
Diagnosis of extended cold-season temperature anomalies in Alaska.

During the early winter of 2002 and late winter of 2007, the Alaskan sector of the North Pacific Ocean region experienced record-breaking temperature anomalies. The duration of these episodes was unusually long, with each lasting more than 1 month: 55 days for the warm anomaly of October‐December 2002 and 37 days for the cold anomaly of February‐March 2007. Temperature departures over each respective period were the largest for the continental climate of interior Alaska (.108C) and the smallest for the maritime regions of Alaska (,48C). Mean temperatures over the event periods in 2002 and 2007 easily ranked as the record warmest and coldest, respectively, for many surface observing stations. In addition, heating degree-day anomalies were on the order of 700 units for these periods. Atmospheric circulation patterns at the surface and upper levels for the circum-Arctic proved to be the driver for these persistent events. The 2002 warm anomaly was driven by enhanced southerly advection associated with an unusually strong Aleutian low and a positive Pacific decadal oscillation index, which resulted in a large area of anomalous temperatures in Alaska and northern Canada. The 2007 cold anomaly was driven by a weakening of the circulation pattern in the subpolar Pacific sector and a strengthening of the Siberian high, with the strongest temperature anomalies in Alaska and northwestern Canada.
THE SYMPLECTIC PROPERTIES OF THE PGL(n;C)-GLUING EQUATIONS

In a previous article we studied PGL(n,C)-representations of a 3-manifold via a generalization of Thurston's gluing equations. Neumann has proved some symplectic properties of Thurston's gluing equations that play an important role in recent developments of exact and perturbative Chern-Simons theory. In this paper, we prove the symplectic properties of the PGL(n,C)-gluing equations for all ideal triangulations of compact oriented 3-manifolds.
Male Rape Myths

This study investigates the structure of Struckman-Johnson and Struckman-Johnson's Male Rape Myth Scale, examines gender differences in rape myth acceptance, and explores the underlying ideologies that facilitate male rape myth acceptance. A three-factor model, with rape myths regarding Trauma, Blame, and Denial as separate subscales, is the best fitting solution. However, the results indicate that additional scale development and validity tests are necessary. In exploratory analyses, men are more accepting of male rape myths than are women. Benevolent sexism toward men and acceptance of interpersonal violence are strong predictors of male rape myth acceptance for both men and women. Thus, the attitudes that facilitate rape myth acceptance against men appear to be similar to those that facilitate rape myth acceptance against women. Suggestions for future scale development are outlined and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
Playing in Parallel: The Effects of Multiplayer Modes in Active Video Game on Motivation and Physical Exertion

Although multiplayer modes are common among contemporary video games, the bulk of game research focuses on the single-player mode. To fill the gap in the literature, the current study investigated the effects of different multiplayer modes on enjoyment, future play motivation, and the actual physical activity intensity in an active video game. One hundred sixty-two participants participated in a one-factor between-subject laboratory experiment with three conditions: (a) single player: play against self pretest score; (b) cooperation with another player in the same physical space; (c) parallel competition with another player in separated physical spaces. We found that parallel competition in separate physical spaces was the optimal mode, since it resulted in both high enjoyment and future play motivation and high physical intensity. Implications for future research on multiplayer mode and play space as well as active video game-based physical activity interventions are discussed.
Oxygen-limited thermal tolerance is seen in a plastron-breathing insect and can be induced in a bimodal gas exchanger

ABSTRACT Thermal tolerance has been hypothesized to result from a mismatch between oxygen supply and demand. However, the generality of this hypothesis has been challenged by studies on various animal groups, including air-breathing adult insects. Recently, comparisons across taxa have suggested that differences in gas exchange mechanisms could reconcile the discrepancies found in previous studies. Here, we test this suggestion by comparing the behaviour of related insect taxa with different gas exchange mechanisms, with and without access to air. We demonstrate oxygen-limited thermal tolerance in air-breathing adults of the plastron-exchanging water bug Aphelocheirus aestivalis. Ilyocoris cimicoides, a related, bimodal gas exchanger, did not exhibit such oxygen-limited thermal tolerance and relied increasingly on aerial gas exchange with warming. Intriguingly, however, when denied access to air, oxygen-limited thermal tolerance could also be induced in this species. Patterns in oxygen-limited thermal tolerance were found to be consistent across life-history stages in these insects, with nymphs employing the same gas exchange mechanisms as adults. These results advance our understanding of oxygen limitation at high temperatures; differences in the degree of respiratory control appear to modulate the importance of oxygen in setting tolerance limits. Summary: Oxygen does not appear to universally limit thermal tolerance, but instead, oxygen-limited thermal tolerance is context dependent, being related to a species’ capacity to regulate oxygen consumption.