Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geometric Frustration of Icosahedron in Metallic Glasses

Order, Order The structure of glassy materials, which are known to have short-range order but no long-range pattern, continues to be a puzzle. One current theory is that some glassy materials possess icosahedral ordering, a motif that cannot show translational periodicity. Hirata et al. (p. 376, published online 11 July) obtained diffraction patterns from subnanometer volumes in a metallic glass, which show some, but not all, of the expected features of an icosahedron. Simulations suggest that the patterns arise from icosahedrons distorted to include features of the face-centered cubic structure. This observation is different from the predictions of molecular dynamics simulations and provides pivotal information in understanding the competition between the formation of the globally inexpensive long-range order and the locally inexpensive short-range order. Small-volume regions in a bulk metallic glass show icosahedral ordering distorted by partial face-centered cubic symmetry. Icosahedral order has been suggested as the prevalent atomic motif of supercooled liquids and metallic glasses for more than half a century, because the icosahedron is highly close-packed but is difficult to grow, owing to structure frustration and the lack of translational periodicity. By means of angstrom-beam electron diffraction of single icosahedra, we report experimental observation of local icosahedral order in metallic glasses. All the detected icosahedra were found to be distorted with partially face-centered cubic symmetry, presenting compelling evidence on geometric frustration of local icosahedral order in metallic glasses.
Sensitivity of a computer adaptive assessment for measuring functional mobility changes in children enrolled in a community fitness programme

Objective: To examine the relative sensitivity to detect functional mobility changes with a full-length parent questionnaire compared with a computerized adaptive testing version of the questionnaire after a 16-week group fitness programme. Design: Prospective, pre- and posttest study with a 16-week group fitness intervention. Setting: Three community-based fitness centres. Subjects: Convenience sample of children (n = 28) with physical or developmental disabilities. Interventions: A 16-week group exercise programme held twice a week in a community setting. Main measures: A full-length (161 items) paper version of a mobility parent questionnaire based on the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, but expanded to include expected skills of children up to 15 years old was compared with a 15-item computer adaptive testing version. Both measures were administered at pre- and posttest intervals. Results: Both the full-length Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory and the 15- item computer adaptive testing version detected significant changes between pre and posttest scores, had large effect sizes, and standardized response means, with a modest decrease in the computer adaptive test as compared with the 161-item paper version. Correlations between the computer adaptive and paper formats across pre and posttest scores ranged from r = 0.76 to 0.86. Conclusions: Both functional mobility test versions were able to detect positive functional changes at the end of the intervention period. Greater variability in score estimates was generated by the computerized adaptive testing version, which led to a relative reduction in sensitivity as defined by the standardized response mean. Extreme scores were generally more difficult for the computer adaptive format to estimate with as much accuracy as scores in the mid-range of the scale. However, the reduction in accuracy and sensitivity, which did not influence the group effect results in this study, is counterbalanced by the large reduction in testing burden.
Study of left ventricular geometry and function by B-scan ultrasonography in patients with and without asynergy.

Abstract To assess the usefulness of B-scan ultrasonography in determining left ventricular geometry and function, 25 patients with various cardiac disorders were studied with B-scan imaging within 24 hours of performance of biplane cine angiography of the left ventricle. In 14 patients asynergy present on the left anterior oblique ventriculogram was also detected on the B-scan image. A good correlation was found between the area ejection fractions as determined from the B-scan and the ventriculographic silhouettes (r = 0.92). A good correlation was also found between the B-scan area ejection fraction and the biplane volume ejection fraction (r = 0.87), even in patients with left ventricular asynergy, in whom the quantification of left ventricular geometry and function by standard time-motion echocardiography may be inaccurate. Thus, B-scan ultrasonography appears to be a safe, noninvasive, easily repeated technic for the study of left ventricular geometry, ejection and segmental motion in patients with v.
Increased IL-17A expression in granulomas and in circulating memory T cells in sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVE Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by granulomas. Although the aetiology is unknown, sarcoidosis is thought to be mediated by Th1 lymphocytes. Recently, IL-17A has been implicated in granuloma formation in various diseases, including tuberculosis. Therefore, we hypothesized that Th17 cells play a role in sarcoidosis, paralleling recent findings in autoimmune diseases such as RA. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of Th17 cells in sarcoidosis. METHODS T cells were investigated by intracellular flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, in blood, bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) and bronchial mucosal biopsies from a cohort of newly diagnosed sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls. RESULTS Circulating memory CD4(+) T-cell populations of sarcoidosis patients contained significantly increased proportions of IL-17A(+) cells when compared with healthy controls. Interestingly, proportions of IL-17A/IFN-γ and IL-17A/IL-4 double-producing cells were significantly increased in blood of sarcoidosis patients and were present in substantial numbers in BAL. In granuloma-containing, but not in non-granulomatous sarcoidosis biopsies, we found significantly increased numbers of IL-17A(+) T cells, located in and around granulomas throughout the lamina propria. IL-22(+) T cells were increased in the subepithelial layer. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced IL-17A expression in granulomas and the presence of IL-17A(+), IL-17A(+)IFN-γ(+) and IL-17A(+)IL-4(+)memory Th cells in the circulation and BAL indicate Th17 cell involvement in granuloma induction or maintenance in sarcoidosis. Therefore, neutralization of IL-17A activity may be a novel strategy to treat sarcoidosis.
Performance improvement evaluation of forward aeromedical evacuation platforms in Operation Enduring Freedom

BACKGROUND The following three helicopter-based medical evacuation platforms operate in Southern Afghanistan: the US Army emergency medical technician (basic)–led DUSTOFF, US Air Force paramedic-led PEDRO, and UK physician-led medical emergency response team (MERT). Nearly 90% of battlefield deaths occur in the prehospital phase, comparative outcomes for these en route care platforms are unknown. The objective of this investigation was to characterize the nature of injuries in patients transported by three evacuation platforms. In addition, it aimed to compare observed versus predicted mortality among these provider groups. METHODS A performance improvement study involving 975 coalition patients injured in Southern Afghanistan, transported from the point of injury to a military hospital, was performed. All patients were alive on admission with prehospital documentation recorded in the US Department of Defense Trauma Registry from June 2009 to June 2011. The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality and observed versus predicted (Trauma and Injury Severity Score [TRISS]) survival were the primary end points. RESULTS MERT transported more amputation and polytrauma casualties and included patients with higher mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) compared with PEDRO and DUSTOFF (16 [13] vs. 11 [10] and 10 [10] respectively; p < 0.001). DUSTOFF was excluded from the subgroup analysis owing to insufficient numbers of severely injured casualties with only one death. The overall mortality for MERT and PEDRO was similar (4.2% vs. 4.6%, p = 0.967). Stratifying by ISS, there was lower mortality in MERT compared with PEDRO in the range of 20 to 29 (4.8% vs. 16.2%, p = 0.021). The observed mortality among PEDRO casualties was as predicted with the exception of the range of 20 to 29, while mortality in MERT was lower than predicted for all ISS groups with greater than 10. CONCLUSION MERT achieves greater than predicted survival, which may be related to the additional capabilities onboard. This supports the adoption of a versatile medical evacuation system with scalable crew and equipment configurations that adapt to meet the medical, tactical, and operational needs of future conflicts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV.
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE SCHIZOPHRENIA ( OCS ) REVISITED : A FIVE-YEAR CASE REPORT

Objective: This is a case report discussing the comorbidity of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia. Such clinical phenomenon merits recognition as a distinct subgroup of schizophrenia with unique challenges and treatment needs. Method: A case report presenting schizophrenia with preceding obsessive-compulsive disorder over five years. Results: This report describes the clinical course and treatment challenges of a patient with obsessive compulsive schizophrenia (OCS). Conclusion: This case illustrates that OCS is a complex disorder with atypical clinical characteristics. In managing this patient, several clinical dilemmas including diagnostic ambiguity, problems with pharmacotherapy and difficulties in his rehabilitation were highlighted.
Spa Diversity among MRSA and MSSA Strains of Staphylococcus aureus in North of Iran

Protein A of Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogenic factor whose encoding gene, spa, shows a variation in length in different strains. In this study the spa gene variation in S. aureus isolated from healthy carriers and patients was studied, We also compared this variation among MRSA with MSSA strains. 208 strains of Staphylococcus aureus which we were isolated from Gorgan, north of Iran were studied, 121 cases from patients and 87 cases from healthy carriers, 59 out of them were MRSA and 149 MSSA. Samples DNA were extracted and amplified by specific primer of spa gene. In 4 (3.8%) strains of them no spa gene was detected, and 10.6% had a dual band (1200 and 1400 bp). In strains with one band, the length of spa gene differed from 1150 to 1500 bp. The most prevalent length was 1350–1400 bp (37%). The frequencies of short spa bands (1150–1200 bp) in patients strains were significantly higher. In 4 (3.8%) strains of them no spa gene was detected, and 10.6% had a dual band (1200 and 1400 bp). In strains with one band, the length of spa gene differed from 1150 to 1500 bp. The most prevalent length was 1350–1400 bp (37%). The frequencies of short spa bands (1150–1200 bp) in patients strains were significantly higher. The spa gene length of 1350–1400 bp in MSSA was more than in MRSA strains (P < .05). The average length of spa in isolated strains from urinary tract infections was more than others. It is concluded that the length of spa gene depends either on resistance to Methicillin or the source of S. aureus isolation.
Matrix adhesion polarizes heart progenitor induction in the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis

Cell-matrix adhesion strongly influences developmental signaling. Resulting impacts on cell migration and tissue morphogenesis are well characterized. However, the in vivo impact of adhesion on fate induction remains ambiguous. Here, we employ the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis to delineate an essential in vivo role for matrix adhesion in heart progenitor induction. In Ciona pre-cardiac founder cells, invasion of the underlying epidermis promotes localized induction of the heart progenitor lineage. We found that these epidermal invasions are associated with matrix adhesion along the pre-cardiac cell/epidermal boundary. Through targeted manipulations of RAP GTPase activity, we were able to manipulate pre-cardiac cell-matrix adhesion. Targeted disruption of pre-cardiac cell-matrix adhesion blocked heart progenitor induction. Conversely, increased matrix adhesion generated expanded induction. We were also able to selectively restore cell-matrix adhesion and heart progenitor induction through targeted expression of Ci-Integrin β2. These results indicate that matrix adhesion functions as a necessary and sufficient extrinsic cue for regional heart progenitor induction. Furthermore, time-lapse imaging suggests that cytokinesis acts as an intrinsic temporal regulator of heart progenitor adhesion and induction. Our findings highlight a potentially conserved role for matrix adhesion in early steps of vertebrate heart progenitor specification.
Charge selective contacts, mobile ions and anomalous hysteresis in organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells

High-efficiency perovskite solar cells typically employ an organic–inorganic metal halide perovskite material as light absorber and charge transporter, sandwiched between a p-type electron-blocking organic hole-transporting layer and an n-type hole-blocking electron collection titania compact layer. Some device configurations also include a thin mesoporous layer of TiO2 or Al2O3 which is infiltrated and capped with the perovskite absorber. Herein, we demonstrate that it is possible to fabricate planar and mesoporous perovskite solar cells devoid of an electron selective hole-blocking titania compact layer, which momentarily exhibit power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of over 13%. This performance is however not sustained and is related to the previously observed anomalous hysteresis in perovskite solar cells. The “compact layer-free” meso-superstructured perovskite devices yield a stabilised PCE of only 2.7% while the compact layer-free planar heterojunction devices display no measurable steady state power output when devoid of an electron selective contact. In contrast, devices including the titania compact layer exhibit stabilised efficiency close to that derived from the current voltage measurements. We propose that under forward bias the perovskite diode becomes polarised, providing a beneficial field, allowing accumulation of positive and negative space charge near the contacts, which enables more efficient charge extraction. This provides the required built-in potential and selective charge extraction at each contact to temporarily enable efficient operation of the perovskite solar cells even in the absence of charge selective n- and p-type contact layers. The polarisation of the material is consistent with long range migration and accumulation of ionic species within the perovskite to the regions near the contacts. When the external field is reduced under working conditions, the ions can slowly diffuse away from the contacts redistributing throughout the film, reducing the field asymmetry and the effectiveness of the operation of the solar cells. We note that in light of recent publications showing high efficiency in devices devoid of charge selective contacts, this work reaffirms the absolute necessity to measure and report the stabilised power output under load when characterizing perovskite solar cells.
Institutional Change and Product Composition: Does the Initial Quality of Institutions Matter?

We argue that the quality of institutions that enforce contracts and protect property rights influences the costs of producing high-value added (complex) versus low-value added (simple) products. Since data is hardly available for domestic transactions, we generate predictions about the relationship between the quality of institutions and product composition with an international trade model and use a rich international trade data set for empirical tests. We find that improvements in institutional quality increase the share and volume of a country's complex product exports. However, the initial quality of institutions is important, since in countries with the least developed institutions, the share of complex products in exports is generally small and, institutional reform has almost no influence on simple product exports. These findings cast doubts on the efficacy of institutional reform in countries with underdeveloped institutions.
Towards Tricking a Pathogen’s Protease into Fighting Infection: The 3D Structure of a Stable Circularly Permuted Onconase Variant Cleavedby HIV-1 Protease

Onconase® is a highly cytotoxic amphibian homolog of Ribonuclease A. Here, we describe the construction of circularly permuted Onconase® variants by connecting the N- and C-termini of this enzyme with amino acid residues that are recognized and cleaved by the human immunodeficiency virus protease. Uncleaved circularly permuted Onconase® variants are unusually stable, non-cytotoxic and can internalize in human T-lymphocyte Jurkat cells. The structure, stability and dynamics of an intact and a cleaved circularly permuted Onconase® variant were determined by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and provide valuable insight into the changes in catalytic efficiency caused by the cleavage. The understanding of the structural environment and the dynamics of the activation process represents a first step toward the development of more effective drugs for the treatment of diseases related to pathogens expressing a specific protease. By taking advantage of the protease’s activity to initiate a cytotoxic cascade, this approach is thought to be less susceptible to known resistance mechanisms.
Immunoprotective effects of oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 in elderly adults: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Oral intake of Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 (b240) has been shown to enhance the secretion of salivary secretory IgA in elderly adults. However, its clinical benefits remain to be determined. We tested the hypothesis that b240 exerts a protective effect against the common cold in elderly adults. The design of the present study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT) with parallel three-group comparison. For this purpose, 300 eligible elderly adults were randomly allocated to one of three groups, namely a placebo, low-dose or high-dose b240 group. Participants in the low-dose and high-dose b240 groups were given tablets containing 2 × 109 or 2 × 1010 cells, respectively, of heat-killed b240, while those in the placebo group were given tablets without b240. Each group consumed their respective tablets once daily for 20 weeks. The common cold was assessed on the basis of a diary. Change in quality of life was evaluated using the SF-36®. Of the total participants, 280 completed the 20-week RCT. The accumulated incidence rate of the common cold was 47·3, 34·8 and 29·0 % for the placebo, low-dose b240 and high-dose b240 groups, respectively (P for trend = 0·012). Lower incidence rates were consistently observed throughout the experimental period in the b240 groups (log-rank test, P= 0·034). General health perception, as determined by the SF-36®, dose-dependently increased in the b240 groups (P for trend = 0·016). In conclusion, oral intake of b240 significantly reduced the incidence rate of the common cold in elderly adults, indicating that b240 might be useful in improving resistance against infection through mucosal immunity.
Discrimination of fluorinated uridine metabolites in N‐417 small cell lung cancer cell extracts via 19F‐ and 31P‐NMR

31P‐NMR extract spectra of N‐417 Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) cells cultured with fluorouridine (FUrd) reveal new peaks with chemical shifts in the diphosphodiester and nucleoside triphosphate regions. These peaks were identified as FUTP, FUDP, FUDP‐glucose, FUDP‐glucuronate, FUDP‐GlcNAc, and FUDP‐GalNAc via enzymatic conversion and 19F‐and 31P‐NYR analysis. Distinct 19F chemical shifts were assigned for FUTP, FUDP, and the FUDP‐sugars.
Efficient symbol detection for the FSO IM/DD system with automatic and adaptive threshold adjustment: The multi-level PAM case

To detect M-ary pulse amplitude modulation signals reliably in an FSO communication system, the receiver requires accurate knowledge about the instantaneous channel attenuation on the signal. We derive here an optimum, symbol-by-symbol receiver that jointly estimates the attenuation with the help of past detected data symbols and detects the data symbols accordingly. Few pilot symbols are required, resulting in high spectral efficiency. Detection can be performed with a very low complexity. From both theoretical analysis and simulation, we show that as the number of the detected data symbols used for estimating the channel attenuation increases, the bit error probability of our receiver approaches that of detection with perfect channel knowledge.
Effects of metformin on retinoblastoma growth in vitro and in vivo

Recent studies suggest that the anti-diabetic drug metformin may reduce the risk of cancer and have anti-proliferative effects for some but not all cancers. In this study, we examined the effects of metformin on human retinoblastoma cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Two different human retinoblastoma cell lines (Y79, WERI) were treated with metformin in vitro and xenografts of Y79 cells were established in nu/nu immune-deficient mice and used to assess the effects of pharmacological levels of metformin in vivo. Metformin inhibited proliferation of the retinoblastoma cells in vitro. Similar to other studies, high concentrations of metformin (mM) blocked the cell cycle in G0–G1, indicated by a strong decrease of G1 cyclins, especially cyclin D, cyclin-dependent kinases (4 and 6), and flow cytometry assessment of the cell cycle. This was associated with activation of AMPK, inhibition of the mTOR pathways and autophagy marker LC3B. However, metformin failed to suppress growth of xenografted tumors of Y79 human retinoblastoma cells in nu/nu mice, even when treated with a maximally tolerated dose level achieved in human patients. In conclusion, suprapharmacological levels (mM) of metformin, well above those tolerated in vivo, inhibited the proliferation of retinoblastoma cells in vitro. However, physiological levels of metformin, such as seen in the clinical setting, did not affect the growth of retinoblastoma cells in vitro or in vivo. This suggests that the potential beneficial effects of metformin seen in epidemiological studies may be limited to specific tumor types or be related to indirect effects/mechanisms not observed under acute laboratory conditions.
Influence Propagation in Social Networks: A Data Mining Perspective

With the success of online social networks and mi- croblogs such as Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, the phenomenon of influence exerted by users of such platforms on other users, and how it propagates in the network, has recently attracted the interest of computer scientists, information technologists, and marketing specialists. One of the key problems in this area is the identification of influential users, by targeting whom certain desirable marketing outcomes can be achieved. In this article we take a data mining perspective and we discuss what (and how) can be learned from the available traces of past propagations. While doing this we provide a brief overview of some recent progresses in this area and discuss some open problems. By no means this article must be intended as an exhaustive survey: it is instead (admittedly) a rather biased and personal perspective of the author on the topic of influence propagation in social networks.