Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drainage integration and sediment dispersal in active continental rifts: A numerical modelling study of the central Italian Apennines

Progressive integration of drainage networks during active crustal extension is observed in continental areas around the globe. This phenomenon is often explained in terms of headward erosion, controlled by the distance to an external base‐level (e.g. the coast). However, conclusive field evidence for the mechanism(s) driving integration is commonly absent as drainage integration events are generally followed by strong erosion. Based on a numerical modelling study of the actively extending central Italian Apennines, we show that overspill mechanisms (basin overfilling and lake overspill) are more likely mechanisms for driving drainage integration in extensional settings and that the balance between sediment supply vs. accommodation creation in fault‐bounded basins is of key importance. In this area drainage integration is evidenced by lake disappearance since the early Pleistocene and the transition from internal (endorheic) to external drainage, i.e. connected to the coast. Using field observations from the central Apennines, we constrain normal faulting and regional surface uplift within the surface process model CASCADE (Braun & Sambridge, 1997, Basin Research, 9, 27) and demonstrate the phenomenon of drainage integration, showing how it leads to the gradual disappearance of lakes and the transition to an interconnected fluvial transport system over time. Our model results show that, in the central Apennines, the relief generated through both regional uplift and fault‐block uplift produces sufficient sediment to fill the extensional basins, enabling overspill and individual basins to eventually become fluvially connected. We discuss field observations that support our findings and throw new light upon previously published interpretations of landscape evolution in this area. We also evaluate the implications of drainage integration for topographic development, regional sediment dispersal and offshore sediment supply. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our results to other continental rifts (including those where regional uplift is absent) and the importance of drainage integration for transient landscape evolution.
Load Rather Than Contraction Type Influences Rate of Perceived Exertion and Pain

Hollander, DB, Kilpatrick, MW, Ramadan, ZG, Reeves, GV, Francois, M, Blakeney, A, Castracane, VD, and Kraemer, RR. Load rather than contraction type influences rate of perceived exertion and pain. J Strength Cond Res 22: 1184-1193, 2008-The purpose of the study was to determine whether muscle contraction type (concentric [CON] or eccentric [ECC]) or loading (relative or absolute) has a greater impact on the perceptual and metabolic responses to conventional resistance exercise. Additionally, overall effort, pain sensations, and specific pain descriptors were compared with physiological responses. Seven healthy men (mean ± SE, 25.71 ± 2.17 years) with resistance training experience completed 2 one-repetition maximum (1-RM) trials. Subsequently, 2 randomized, counterbalanced, experimental sessions were completed consisting of 4 sets of 10 repetitions for 6 exercises. These sessions were performed at 65% CON 1-RM for CON only contractions or 65% CON 1-RM + 20% for ECC contractions. Blood samples were taken pre, post, and 15 minutes postexercise. OMNI-RPE (OMNI-Res), CR-10 pain rating, McGill pain ratings, and heart rate (HR) were recorded after each set. A significant time effect occurred for OMNI-Res, pain, lactate, and HR (p < 0.05). No significant pattern emerged for the contraction type, except for higher HR and lactate immediately postexercise for the CON contractions. Physiological measures were not significantly related to perceptual measures. When considered with previous data, muscle loading rather than contraction type plays the primary role in perceptual alterations of effort sense and pain. Practical applications of the investigation are that strength and conditioning professionals may be able to load CON and ECC contractions in a relative fashion by increasing loads in the ECC portion by 20% above the CON load that would result in comparable perceptual experiences.
Evidence using a green fluorescent protein-glucocorticoid receptor chimera that the Ran/TC4 GTPase mediates an essential function independent of nuclear protein import

The Ran/TC4 GTPase is required for the nuclear accumulation of artificial karyophiles in permeabilized cell assays. To investigate Ran function in a physiologically intact setting using mammalian cells, we examined the effects of several Ran mutants on cell growth and on the nuclear translocation of a glucocorticoid receptor-green fluorescent protein fusion (GR-GFP). Glucocorticoid receptor is cytosolic in the absence of ligand, but translocates to the nucleus on binding the agonist dexamethasone. After transfection into baby hamster kidney cells (BHK21), GR-GFP was detectable in living cells by direct fluorescence microscopy. Addition of dexamethasone caused a rapid translocation of the chimeric protein from the cytosol into the nucleus (t1/2 approximately 5 min). Cotransfection with epitope-tagged, wild- type Ran led to expression of HA1-Ran that was approximately 1.6-fold higher than the level of the endogenous protein, but it had no deleterious effect on nuclear import of the GR-GFP. However, expression of the Ran mutants G19V, T24N, or a COOH-terminal deletion (delta C) mutant dramatically reduced the accumulation of GR-GFP in the nuclei. An L43E mutant of Ran was without significant effect on nuclear GR-GFP import. Identical results were obtained following micro-injection of recombinant Ran mutants into cells expressing GR-GFP. Significantly, all of the Ran mutants, including L43E, strongly inhibited cell growth. These results demonstrate the use of GR-GFP in real-time imaging of nuclear transport. They also show that multiple types of Ran mutant exert dominant effects on this process, and that normal Ran function requires cycling between the GTP- and GDP-bound states of the protein. Most importantly, the results with the L43E Ran mutant provide strong evidence that Ran mediates a function essential to cell viability that is independent of nuclear protein import.
Naringin Reduces Hyperglycemia-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis by Relieving Oxidative Stress

Introduction Hyperglycemia promotes myocardial fibrotic lesions through upregulation of PKC and p38 in response to redox changes. The effects of naringin on hyperglycemia-induced myocardial fibrotic changes and its putative effects on PKC-β and p38 protein expression in type 1 rat model of diabetes are hereby investigated. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups I-VI. Groups I and II, were orally treated with distilled water {3.0 ml/kg body weight (BW)} and naringin (50 mg/kg BW), respectively. Groups III, IV, V and VI were rendered diabetic by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg, BW) and were similarly treated with subcutaneous insulin (8.0 I.U/kg BW, twice daily), naringin (50 mg/kg BW), distilled water (3.0 ml/Kg BW) and ramipril (3.0 mg/kg/BW), respectively. The animals were sacrificed after 56 days by halothane overdose; blood and heart samples removed for further analysis. Results The untreated diabetic rats exhibited significantly increased oxidative stress, NADPH oxidase activity, increased cardiac fibrosis, PKC-β and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase expression compared to controls. Naringin treatment significantly ameliorated these changes in diabetic rats compared to the untreated diabetic controls. Conclusions Naringin’s amelioration of myocardial fibrosis by modulating p38 and PKC-β protein expression possibly through its known antioxidant actions and may therefore be useful in retarding the progression of fibrosis in a diabetic heart.
Experimental Study of Damage Evolution in Circular Stirrup-Confined Concrete

This paper presents an experimental study on circular stirrup-confined concrete specimens under uniaxial and monotonic load. The effects of stirrup volume ratio, stirrup yield strength and concrete strength on damage evolution of stirrup-confined concrete were investigated. The experimental results showed that the strength and ductility of concrete are improved by appropriate arrangement of the stirrup confinement. Firstly, the concrete damage evolution can be relatively restrained with the increase of the stirrup volume ratio. Secondly, higher stirrup yield strength usually causes larger confining pressures and slower concrete damage evolution. In contrast, higher concrete strength leads to higher brittleness, which accelerates the concrete damage evolution. A plastic strain expression is obtained through curve fitting, and a damage evolution equation for circular stirrup-confined concrete is proposed by introducing a confinement factor (C) based on the experimental data. The comparison results demonstrate that the proposed damage evolution model can accurately describe the experimental results.
Outcomes among 562 recipients of placental-blood transplants from unrelated donors.

BACKGROUND A program for banking, characterizing, and distributing placental blood, also called umbilical-cord blood, for transplantation provided grafts for 562 patients between August 24, 1992, and January 30, 1998. We evaluated this experience. METHODS Placental blood was stored under liquid nitrogen and selected for specific patients on the basis of HLA type and leukocyte content. Patients were prepared for the transplantation of allogeneic hematopoietic cells in the placental blood and received prophylaxis against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) according to routine procedures at each center. RESULTS Outcomes at 100 days after transplantation were known for all 562 patients, and outcomes at 1 year for 94 percent of eligible recipients. The cumulative rates of engraftment among the recipients, according to actuarial analysis, were 81 percent by day 42 for neutrophils (median time to engraftment, 28 days) and 85 percent by day 180 for platelets (median, day 90). The speed of myeloid engraftment was associated primarily with the leukocyte content of the graft, whereas transplantation-related events were associated with the patient's underlying disease and age, the number of leukocytes in the graft, the degree of HLA disparity, and the transplantation center. After engraftment, age, HLA disparity, and center were the primary predictors of outcome. Severe acute GVHD (grade III or IV) occurred in 23 percent of patients, and chronic GVHD occurred in 25 percent. The rate of relapse among recipients with leukemia was 9 percent within the first 100 days, 17 percent within 6 months, and 26 percent by 1 year. These rates were associated with the severity of GVHD, type of leukemia, and stage of the disease. CONCLUSIONS Placental blood is a useful source of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow reconstitution.
Effect of simulated microgravity and shear stress on microcin B17 production by Escherichia coli and on its excretion into the medium

Production of the antibacterial polypeptide microcin B17 (MccB17) by Escherichia coli ZK650 was inhibited by simulated microgravity. The site of MccB17 accumulation was found to be different, depending on whether the organism was grown in shaking flasks or in rotating bioreactors designed to establish a simulated microgravity environment. In flasks, the accumulation was cellular, but in the reactors, virtually all the microcin was found in the medium. The change from a cellular site to an extracellular one was apparently not a function of gravity, since extracellular production occurred in these bioreactors, irrespective of whether they were operated in the simulated microgravity or normal gravity mode. More probably, excretion is due to the much lower degree of shear stress in the bioreactors. Addition of even a single glass bead to the 50-ml medium volume in the bioreactor created enough shear to change the site of MccB17 accumulation from the medium to the cells.
A NOTE ON THE CONTINUOUS EXTENSIONS OF INJECTIVE MORPHISMS BETWEEN FREE GROUPS TO RELATIVELY FREE PROFINITE GROUPS

Let V be a pseudovariety of finite groups such that free groups are residually V, and let ϕ: F(A) → F(B) be an injective morphism between finitely generated free groups. We characterize the situations where the continuous extension ˆϕ of ϕ between the pro-V completions of F(A) and F(B) is also injective. In particular, if V is extension-closed, this is the case if and only if ϕ(F(A)) and its pro-V closure in F(B) have the same rank. We examine a number of situations where the injectivity of ˆϕ can be asserted, or at least decided, and we draw a few corollaries.
Invasive cortical stimulation to promote recovery of function after stroke: a critical appraisal.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Residual motor deficits frequently linger after stroke. Search for newer effective strategies to promote functional recovery is ongoing. Brain stimulation, as a means of directing adaptive plasticity, is appealing. Animal studies and Phase I and II trials in humans have indicated safety, feasibility, and efficacy of combining rehabilitation and concurrent invasive cortical stimulation. However, a recent Phase III trial showed no advantage of the combination. We critically review results of various trials and discuss the factors that contributed to the distinctive result. SUMMARY OF REVIEW Regarding cortical stimulation, it is important to determine the (1) location of peri-infarct representations by integrating multiple neuroanatomical and physiological techniques; (2) role of other mechanisms of stroke recovery; (3) viability of peri-infarct tissue and descending pathways; (4) lesion geometry to ensure no alteration/displacement of current density; and (5) applicability of lessons generated from noninvasive brain stimulation studies in humans. In terms of combining stimulation with rehabilitation, we should understand (1) the principle of homeostatic plasticity; (2) the effect of ongoing cortical activity and phases of learning; and (3) that subject-specific intervention may be necessary. CONCLUSIONS Future cortical stimulation trials should consider the factors that may have contributed to the peculiar results of the Phase III trial and address those in future study designs.
A human, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic supplementation: effects on luminal, inflammatory, epigenetic, and epithelial biomarkers of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND Diet is an important factor in colorectal carcinogenesis; thus, dietary supplements may have a role in colorectal cancer prevention. OBJECTIVE The objective was to establish the relative luminal, epithelial, and epigenetic consequences of prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic dietary supplementation in humans. DESIGN This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 4-wk crossover trial of resistant starch and Bifidobacterium lactis, either alone or as a combined synbiotic preparation, in 20 human volunteers. Rectal biopsy, feces, and serum samples were collected. The rectal mucosal endpoints were DNA methylation at 16 CpG island loci and LINE-1, epithelial proliferation (Ki67 immunohistochemistry), and crypt cellularity. The fecal endpoints were short-chain fatty acid concentrations, pH, ammonia, and microbiological profiles (by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing). Serum endpoints were a panel of cytokines and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. RESULTS Seventeen subjects completed the entire study. The synbiotic intervention fostered a significantly different fecal stream bacterial community than did either the prebiotic (P = 0.032) or the probiotic (P = 0.001) intervention alone, in part because of a greater proportion of patients harboring fecal Lachnospiraceae spp. These changes developed in the absence of any significant differences in fecal chemistry. There were no differences in epithelial kinetics. CONCLUSIONS This synbiotic supplementation with B. lactis and resistant starch, in the doses used, induced unique changes in fecal microflora but did not significantly alter any other fecal, serum, or epithelial variables. This trial was registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry at www.anzctr. org.au as ACTRN012606000115538.
High incidence of disease recurrence after discontinuation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug treatment in patients with psoriatic arthritis in remission

Objective To investigate the possibility of drug-free remission in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in continuous remission. Methods Prospective observational study in disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-treated PsA patients in continuous disease remission (no musculoskeletal symptoms, no or minimal skin/nail disease) for at least 6 months. Demographic, disease-specific and ultrasound parameters were assessed at baseline. DMARDs (traditional or biologic) were discontinued at the initial visit, and patients were followed for a maximum of 6 months for recurrence of disease. Results 26 patients (methotrexate monotherapy: N=14; tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: N=12) with a mean age of 55.2 years, absence of musculoskeletal symptoms and minimal skin disease (mean Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI): 0.21) were enrolled. Incidence of recurrence of disease was high (N=20, 76.9%) and occurred rapidly (74.50±51.72 days) after treatment discontinuation. Male PsA patients were significantly more likely to lose remission. Long disease duration, more severe skin involvement and the presence of synovial hypertrophy by ultrasonographic examination at baseline decreased the likelihood for drug-free remission. Reinitiation of DMARDs promptly restored remission in all PsA patients with recurrence of disease. Conclusions This study shows that the chance to reach drug-free remission in PsA patients is low. Discontinuation of DMARD therapy cannot be recommended in patients with PsA.
EFFECT OF CORONARY ABLATION AND ADRENERGIC STIMULATION ON IN VIVO CARDIAC PERFORMANCE IN TROUT (ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS)

In fish, catecholamine-induced changes in cardiac performance in vivo are the result of complex interactions between the direct adrenergic effects on the heart and peripheral circulation and the reflex responses to increased blood pressure. In addition, coronary artery transport of catecholamines and oxygen to the compact myocardium may be essential for maximal in vivo cardiac performance during adrenergic stimulation. Cardiac output (Q(dot)), heart rate (fh), stroke volume (Vs) and dorsal aortic pressure (Pda) were measured in trout with intact or ablated coronary arteries at rest and following intra-arterial administration of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 µg kg-1 adrenaline. Resting Q(dot), fh, Vs and Pda were the same in fish with intact and ablated coronaries at 48 h post-surgery, averaging approximately 18 ml min-1 kg-1, 42 beats min-1, 0.42 ml kg-1 and 2.2 kPa, respectively. All cardiovascular variables showed a strong relationship between response magnitude and adrenaline dose. However, our results indicate that adrenaline doses above 0.5 µg kg-1 may have a limited ability to increase Q(dot) (ED50 0.22 µg kg-1). Coronary artery ablation had little effect on post-injection Q(dot), Vs, Pda or fh at any dose of adrenaline. In both intact and ablated groups, two types of responses in Q(dot) were observed following adrenaline injection. In the 'type 1' response, Q(dot) increased shortly (15­30 s) after adrenaline administration, as increases in Vs more than compensated for a pressor-stimulated reflex bradycardia. In the 'type 2' response, alterations in Q(dot) were biphasic. In the initial minutes post-injection, Q(dot) fell and reached a minimum level at 1­2 min, the result of an immediate drop in fh and a delayed post-injection increase in Vs. Thereafter, Q(dot) gradually increased as a result of concordant increases in fh and Vs. Although time to maximum Q(dot) was 5­6 min longer for fish exhibiting type 2 responses, there was no difference in maximum Q(dot) increase or in the time courses for changes in fh and Pda between response types. Our results suggest (1) that during normoxic conditions, cardiac performance does not depend highly on coronary blood flow; (2) that the capacity of adrenaline to increase Q(dot) may be limited by elevations in output pressure and/or by the low dose (concentration) of adrenaline required to achieve near maximal adrenergic stimulation of the heart; and (3) that fish exhibiting type 2 responses have an increased barostatic gain (%delta fh per unit Pda) compared with those with type 1 responses.
Uncovering Structure in High-Dimensions: Networks and Multi-task Learning Problems

Extracting knowledge and providing insights into complex mechanisms underlying noisy high-dimensional data sets is of utmost importance in many scientific domains. Statistical modeling has become ubiquitous in the analysis of high-dimensional functional data in search of better understanding of cognition mechanisms, in the exploration of large-scale gene regulatory networks in hope of developing drugs for lethal diseases, and in prediction of volatility in stock market in hope of beating the market. Statistical analysis in these high-dimensional data sets is possible only if an estimation procedure exploits hidden structures underlying data. This thesis develops flexible estimation procedures with provable theoretical guarantees for uncovering unknown hidden structures underlying data generating process. Of particular interest are procedures that can be used on high-dimensional data sets where the number of samples n much smaller than the ambient dimension p. Learning in high-dimensions is difficult due to the curse of dimensionality, however, the special problem structure makes inference possible. Due to its importance for scientific discovery, we put emphasis on consistent structure recovery throughout the thesis. Particular focus is given to two important problems, semi-parametric estimation of networks and feature selection in multi-task learning.
Requisite IS management knowledge and skills construct: a survey

A review of the literature suggests that various IS knowledge and skills should be grouped into a construct because many IS tasks require a combination of diverse disciplines. Many studies argue that today's IS executives should be multidisciplinary, while the organizational skills are becoming increasingly important. However, the outstanding issue is what is the appropriate balance of disciplines between the organizational domain and technical domain. For understanding such a balance, it is easier to refer to quantitative proportions than to qualitative descriptions. Therefore, this study suggests a way to quantitatively identify an IS management knowledge and skills construct - a combination that comprises six related knowledge and skills categories suggested by the literature. By analyzing the data obtained in a 1996's survey, two such constructs for current proficiency and expected level have been quantitatively identified. To people aiming at a senior IS executive career, the deficiencies between current and expected constructs suggest not only the direction but also the extent should be enhanced, and the constructs indicate the balance among various disciplines should be maintained.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUTRINO PHYSICS

The current experimental status of neutrino physics is reviewed. It contains the evidences for a non-vanishing neutrino rest mass from neutrino oscillation searches. In addition an outlook is given on determining the various mixing matrix elements and mass differences more precisely with new experiments. Of special interest is the value of the mixing angle θ13 determining the possibility of detecting leptonic CP violation in the future. The prospect for absolute mass measurements using beta and double beta decay as well as cosmological observations is presented.