Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salt, chloride, bleach, and innate host defense

Salt provides 2 life‐essential elements: sodium and chlorine. Chloride, the ionic form of chlorine, derived exclusively from dietary absorption and constituting the most abundant anion in the human body, plays critical roles in many vital physiologic functions, from fluid retention and secretion to osmotic maintenance and pH balance. However, an often overlooked role of chloride is its function in innate host defense against infection. Chloride serves as a substrate for the generation of the potent microbicide chlorine bleach by stimulated neutrophils and also contributes to regulation of ionic homeostasis for optimal antimicrobial activity within phagosomes. An inadequate supply of chloride to phagocytes and their phagosomes, such as in CF disease and other chloride channel disorders, severely compromises host defense against infection. We provide an overview of the roles that chloride plays in normal innate immunity, highlighting specific links between defective chloride channel function and failures in host defense.
High-resolution LiDAR and photogrammetric survey of the Fumanya dinosaur tracksites (Catalonia): implications for the conservation and interpretation of geological heritage sites

Increasing political and social awareness of the importance of protecting the geological heritage is compelling geoscientists to consider new methods for reconciling conservation and exploration of their research sites. Terrestrial Light Detection And Range (LiDAR) imaging is an accurate method of collecting 3D spatial data that has so far been under-utilized in the geological sciences. This aim of this paper is to assess the value of integrated LiDAR and photogrammetric imaging as a tool for synchronizing scientific exploration with conservation of geological heritage sites. Fumanya (Catalonia) is one of the most important Cretaceous tracksites in Europe, but the nature of exposure of the track-bearing surface has hindered quantitative documentation of the ichnites. Using integrated Light Detection And Range (LiDAR) imaging and photogrammetry it has been possible to construct high-resolution Digital Outcrop Models (DOM) of the tracksites. Photo-textured DOMs are a powerful visualization tool and function as fully 3D interactive databases that preserve information about the site that would otherwise be lost to erosion. LiDAR-derived DOMs have the potential to contribute profoundly to future geoconservation projects, particularly as a tool for documenting and monitoring heritage sites and promoting education and tourism. LiDAR scanning also provides sufficient resolution to perform robust quantitative analysis of dinosaur tracks.
Broiler chickens exposed to melamine and cyanuric acid-contaminated diets

The objective of this study was to investigate whether melamine (MEL) is biotransformed into cyanuric acid (CYA) in male broiler chickens. The effects of the dietary addition of MEL and CYA alone and in combination on the growth performance and mortality of the chickens were also investigated. The chickens were divided into six experimental groups and were fed diets with an addition of 50 or 100 mg/kg MEL or 50 or 100 mg/kg CYA of diet, with the contaminants added separately or in combination. The control group was fed a diet without MEL or CYA. At the end of the experiment (day 40), samples of liver, kidney and breast and thigh muscles were collected from 12 birds per treatment group and were analysed for the presence of MEL and CYA. This study showed that MEL is biotransformed into CYA in broilers. Higher concentrations of MEL or CYA in the diet increased the presence of their residues in tissues, and the CYA residue concentration was several times higher in the respective tissues than the MEL residue concentration. The dietary addition of MEL and CYA did not affect the mortality rate, feed conversion ratio or body weight of the chickens.
Stochastic Approximations and Differential Inclusions

The dynamical systems approach to stochastic approximation is generalized to the case where the mean differential equation is replaced by a differential inclusion. The limit set theorem of Benaim and Hirsch is extended to this situation. Internally chain transitive sets and attractors are studied in detail for set-valued dynamical systems. Applications to game theory are given, in particular to Blackwell's approachability theorem and the convergence of fictitious play.
Joint observations of sodium enhancements and field‐aligned ionospheric irregularities

Resonance Lidar observations of neutral sodium and VHF coherent scatter radar observations of field‐aligned 3‐meter irregularities were obtained during the Coqui II rocket campaign in Puerto Rico. The Lidar, a facility instrument at the Arecibo Observatory (18.3°N, 66.8°W), and the University of Illinois Radar, located near Salinas on the south of the island, both monitored volumes near where the uplegs of the nominal rocket trajectories intersected the E‐region. The Observatory's Incoherent Scatter Radar was also used to characterize the plasma layers. Preliminary investigation of the data sets has shown a potential correspondence between VHF backscatter from plasma layers and a new class of characteristic enhancements in the neutral sodium.
MicroRNA-212 Regulates the Expression of Olfactomedin 1 and C-Terminal Binding Protein 1 in Human Endometrial Epithelial Cells to Enhance Spheroid Attachment In Vitro1

ABSTRACT Successful embryo implantation requires a synchronized dialogue between a competent blastocyst and the receptive endometrium, which occurs in a limited time period known as the “window of implantation. ” Recent studies suggested that down-regulation of olfactomedin 1 (OLFM1) in the endometrium and fallopian tube is associated with receptive endometrium and tubal ectopic pregnancy in humans. Interestingly, the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) induces miR-212 expression, which modulates OLFM1 and C-terminal binding protein 1 (CTBP1) expressions in mouse granulosa cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that embryo-derived hCG would increase miR-212 expression and down-regulate OLFM1 and CTBP1 expressions to favor embryo attachment onto the female reproductive tract. We found that hCG stimulated the expression of miR-212 and down-regulated OLFM1 but not CTBP1 mRNA in both human endometrial (Ishikawa) and fallopian (OE-E6/E7) epithelial cells. However, hCG suppressed the expression of OLFM1 and CTBP1 proteins in both cell lines. The 3′UTR of both OLFM1 and CTBP1 contained binding sites for miR-212. The miR-212 precursor suppressed luciferase expression, whereas the miR-212 inhibitor stimulated luciferase expression of the wild-type (WT)-OLFM1 and WT-CTBP1 reporter constructs. Furthermore, hCG (25 IU/ml) treatments stimulated trophoblastic (Jeg-3) spheroid (blastocyst surrogate) attachment onto Ishikawa and OE-E6/E7 cells. Transfection of miR-212 precursor increased Jeg-3 spheroid attachment onto Ishikawa cells and decreased OLFM1 and CTBP1 protein expressions, whereas the opposite occurred with miR-212 inhibitor. Taken together, hCG stimulated miR-212, which in turn down-regulated OLFM1 and CTBP1 expression in fallopian and endometrial epithelial cells to favor spheroid attachment.
Large-Eddy Simulation of Shock/Boundary-Layer Interaction

This work considers numerical simulations of supersonic flows when shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction occurs. Such flows reveal the existence of complex mechanisms, which need to be carefully investigated for efficient design of propulsion systems. In this study, large-eddy simulation is used to investigate unsteady mechanisms. Since a shock-capturing scheme is used, a hybrid numerical scheme has been developed to reduce its dissipative properties. The issue of the generation of coherent turbulent inlet boundary conditions is also addressed. To avoid introducing artificial low-frequency modes that could affect the interaction, a method based on a digital-filter approach originally developed by Klein et al. (2003) and modified by Xie & Castro (2008) and Touber & Sandham (2009) is used to provide a synthetic-inflow condition over a relatively short distance. The obtained results are analyzed and discussed in terms of mean and turbulent quantities. Excellent agreement between LES and experimental data is obtained for both the undisturbed boundary layer and the shock impingement region. In the latter case, oscillations of the reflected shock occurring at low frequencies are observed, in agreement with previous numerical and experimental findings. Moreover, simulations reveal the presence of such frequencies mainly near the shock foot and within the recirculation bubble. This point gives credit to the hypothesis that the instabilities of the reflected shock are due to the intrinsic low-frequency movement of the shock/bubble acting dynamically as a coupled system.
Early and Middle Pleistocene river systems in eastern England: evidence from Leet Hill, southern Norfolk, England

Pleistocene sediments at Leet Hill, southern Norfolk are examined in terms of their sedimentary structures, palaeocurrent indicators, clast and heavy mineral lithology and litho- and morphostratigraphic position. Colour of the quartzite and vein-quartz clasts is used to differentiate the Bytham and the Kesgrave sands and gravels, with the Bytham sands and gravels having a significantly higher proportion of coloured material. The Kirby Cane sands and gravels are the lower sedimentary unit and were deposited by the Bytham river, which drained a catchment extending into central England. At Leet Hill, erosion of the Kesgrave Sands and Gravels by the Bytham river has given the Kirby Cane sands and gravels a distinctive lithological assemblage. Trace clast lithologies suggest that the Kesgrave Sands and Gravels in the region of Leet Hill were deposited in a coastal location with an input from northern sources as well as southern and Welsh sources diagnostic of the Thames catchment. The glaciofluvial Leet Hill Sands and Gravels were deposited by outwash from the Anglian Scandinavian ice sheet. Initially the flow direction of the outwash was determined by the Bytham river valley, but this changed to a southerly direction once the valley had been infilled. This paper provides the first indication of the location of the boundary (Early Pleistocene coastline) between the fluvial Kesgrave Sands and Gravels and the marine equivalent reworked by coastal processes, and demonstrates the way the pre-glacial relief initially controlled patterns of glaciofluvial sedimentation during the early part of the Anglian glaciation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mannose Receptor-Dependent Delay in Phagosome Maturation by Mycobacterium avium Glycopeptidolipids

ABSTRACT The ability of pathogenic mycobacteria to block phagosome-lysosome fusion is critical for its pathogenesis. The molecules expressed by mycobacteria that inhibit phagosome maturation and the mechanism of this inhibition have been extensively studied. Recent work has indicated that mannosylated lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM) isolated from Mycobacterium tuberculosis can function to delay phagosome-lysosome fusion and that this delay requires the interaction of ManLAM with the mannose receptor (MR). However, the molecules expressed by other pathogenic mycobacteria that function to inhibit phagosome maturation have not been well described. In the present study, we show that phagosomes containing silica beads coated with glycopeptidolipids (GPLs), a major surface component of Mycobacterium avium, showed limited acidification and delayed recruitment of late endosomal/lysosomal markers compared to those of phosphatidylcholine-coated beads. The carbohydrate component of the GPLs was required, as beads coated only with the lipopeptide core failed to delay phagosome-lysosome fusion. Moreover, the ability of GPLs to delay phagosome maturation was dependent on the macrophage expression of the MR. Using CHO cells expressing the MR, we confirmed that the GPLs bind this receptor. Finally, human monocyte-derived macrophages knocked down for MR expression showed increased M. avium phagosome-lysosome fusion relative to control cells. Together, the data indicate that GPLs can function to delay phagosome-lysosome fusion and suggest that GPLs, like ManLAM, work through the MR to mediate this activity.
Differences in canopy development of two sugarcane cultivars under conditions of water stress: preliminary results.

The effect of water stress on canopy development of sugarcane cultivars N22 and NCo376 was evaluated in a rain shelter facility at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute at Mount Edgecombe. The crop was grown under unstressed conditions for four months. Subsequently, water was withheld from one half of the trial for a period of 42 days. Soil water content in the stressed plots decreased from field capacity of 26% at the start of drying to 15% on day 15, and to a permanent wilting point of 10% at approximately day 40. Shoot survival in N22 was more sensitive to water stress than in NCo376. Water stress caused a simultaneous reduction in leaf appearance rate and an increase in leaf senescence rate, and consequently markedly reduced green leaf number in both cultivars. Leaf senescence appears very sensitive to water stress, with increases apparent at high relative soil water content (RSWC). Interception of radiation was not as sensitive to water stress as leaf area, and in both cultivars decreased only after RSWC dropped below 0.5. NCo376 was able to maintain canopy development processes longer under conditions of increasing water stress, and thus maintained a higher green leaf area index for longer than N22. This was achieved by extracting more water from the profile than N22, thereby maintaining a high turgor for longer, and supporting growth processes for longer. The information obtained in this study will be used to refine and test crop canopy algorithms in crop models. This will allow better application of models to assist management of sugarcane production, especially under conditions of limited water supply.
PERSONALITY PROCESSES AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES Personality Predictors of Academic Outcomes: Big Five Correlates of GPA and SAT Scores

The authors examined relations between the Big Five personality traits and academic outcomes, specifically SAT scores and grade-point average (GPA). Openness was the strongest predictor of SAT verbal scores, and Conscientiousness was the strongest predictor of both high school and college GPA. These relations replicated across 4 independent samples and across 4 different personality inventories. Further analyses showed that Conscientiousness predicted college GPA, even after controlling for high school GPA and SAT scores, and that the relation between Conscientiousness and college GPA was mediated, both concurrently and longitudinally, by increased academic effort and higher levels of perceived academic ability. The relation between Openness and SAT verbal scores was independent of academic achievement and was mediated, both concurrently and longitudinally, by perceived verbal intelligence. Together, these findings show that personality traits have independent and incremental effects on academic outcomes, even after controlling for traditional predictors of those outcomes.
Revealing the X-ray variability of AGN with principal component analysis

We analyse a sample of 26 active galactic nuclei (AGN) with deep XMM–Newton observations, using principal component analysis (PCA) to find model-independent spectra of the different variable components. In total, we identify at least 12 qualitatively different patterns of spectral variability, involving several different mechanisms, including five sources which show evidence of variable relativistic reflection (MCG–6-30-15, NGC 4051, 1H 0707−495, NGC 3516 and Mrk 766) and three which show evidence of varying partial covering neutral absorption (NGC 4395, NGC 1365 and NGC 4151). In over half of the sources studied, the variability is dominated by changes in a power-law continuum, both in terms of changes in flux and power-law index, which could be produced by propagating fluctuations within the corona. Simulations are used to find unique predictions for different physical models, and we then attempt to qualitatively match the results from the simulations to the behaviour observed in the real data. We are able to explain a large proportion of the variability in these sources using simple models of spectral variability, but more complex models may be needed for the remainder. We have begun the process of building up a library of different principal components, so that spectral variability in AGN can quickly be matched to physical processes. We show that PCA can be an extremely powerful tool for distinguishing different patterns of variability in AGN, and that it can be used effectively on the large amounts of high-quality archival data available from the current generation of X-ray telescopes. We will make our PCA code available upon request to the lead author.
Suppression of phagosome proteolysis and Matrigel migration with the α2-adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine in murine dendritic cells

Abstract Dexmedetomidine is a highly-selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist used for sedation of critically ill patients in an intensive care setting. Dendritic cells (DCs) in peripheral tissues sense certain foreign antigens and ingest and process them, while migrating to the regional lymph node. Then, DCs present the processed antigen on their surface to stimulate the clonal proliferation of cognitive lymphocytes, leading to the establishment of adaptive immunity. In murine bone marrow-derived DCs, dexmedetomidine significantly delayed the intracellular proteolytic degradation of ovalbumin, while it did not affect phagocytosis, decreased the expression of the surface molecules I-Ab and CD86, and suppressed cognitive helper T-cell proliferation. Furthermore, dexmedetomidine significantly suppressed DC migration both in vitro, using a Matrigel migration assay, and in vivo, using a foot pad-popliteal lymph node migration assay, which may be ascribed to the inhibition of type IV collagenase/gelatinase activity. Finally, vaccination with dexmedetomidine-treated DCs significantly suppressed the contact hypersensitivity reaction in vivo. These results indicate that dexmedetomidine may suppress immunity by inhibiting DC antigen processing/presentation and migration.
The role of seamount volcanism in crustal construction at the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (24°–30°N)

An analysis of approximately 6000 km2 of Sea Beam swaths indicates that the floor of the median valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 24°–30°N is strewn with near-circular volcanoes. We have identified 481 seamounts in the height range 50–650 m. Because many of the features which appear to be seamounts do not meet our criteria fully, they have not been counted, and our numbers are likely a minimum estimate of the population. The large abundance of seamounts on the median valley floor indicates that seamount volcanism plays an important role in the accretionary processes at this section of the MAR. The summit height distribution of the MAR seamount population is consistent with the exponential frequency-size distribution model for off-axis eastern Pacific seamounts (Jordan et al., 1983; Smith and Jordan, 1987). The model parameters for the MAR population yield an average of about 195 seamounts per one thousand square kilometers, and a characteristic height of about 60 m. Shape statistics compiled from the 481 seamounts give parameters that are exactly the same, or cover the same range in values as those obtained from a study of Pacific seamounts in the height range 140–3800 m (Smith, 1988) implying a universal control on seamount construction. Based on the volcanic morphology, we identify 18 spreading segments along the ridge. All except two contain a prominent axial volcanic ridge. Many of the seamounts identified are associated with the axial ridges. From the Sea Beam swaths, we infer that the ridges are composed of piled up seamounts and hummocky flows, and interpret them to be the primary sites of crustal construction. This style of volcanism contrasts strongly with that observed at the East Pacific Rise where seamounts are virtually absent at the spreading axis. The construction of seamounts and hummocky flows may be directly related to the fact that the MAR is fed by magma chambers that are limited in size and frequency. We suggest that small magma pockets with slow eruption rates produce seamounts either from pipes or initial fissure eruptions that collapse to construct a single edifice; small magma bodies with somewhat higher eruption rates produce hummocky fissure fed flows. Using buoyancy arguments, the heights of the MAR seamounts are related to the depth of the magma bodies. We hypothesize that small magma bodies rise buoyantly to the base of the hydrothermally cooled brittle lid where they are trapped, and then erupt. If this hypothesis is correct, the thickness of the brittle lid controls seamount height, and the exponential distribution of seamount summit heights implies that the thickness of the brittle Hd follows an exponential distribution in time and space with characteristic thickness 1.4–1.9 km. If seamounts and hummocky flows are fed each from their own discrete magma body trapped at the brittle/ductile transition, then the lower crust of the MAR will be made up of the products of a multitude of small plutons.
Impact of an extreme flood event on optical and biogeochemical properties in a subtropical coastal periurban embayment (Eastern Australia)

Major floods impacted the city of Brisbane, eastern Australia, in January 2011, delivering large amounts of dissolved and particulate materials and nutrients into the adjacent coastal embayment, Moreton Bay. The resulting spatially resolved changes in biogeochemical and optical properties in Moreton Bay were examined 1, 2, 6, 19, and 49 weeks after the main freshwater discharge. One week postflood, total suspended matter (TSM) and chlorophyll a (TChla) concentrations varied over 1 order of magnitude throughout Moreton Bay, the particle scattering coefficient at 555 nm varied by a factor of 20, and the total absorption coefficient and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficient at 440 nm varied by a factor of 5. The largest changes in biogeochemical and optical properties observed during our study were from 1 to 2 weeks after the floods: near the Brisbane River mouth, TSM decreased by a factor of 3, CDOM by a factor of 2, while TChla increased by a factor of 3. Within a year, optical and biogeochemical properties recovered to levels similar to nonflood conditions. The strong changes in the characteristics of the particulate and dissolved material following the flood event and subsequent biological and photochemical processes led to a large spatial and temporal variability in the relative contribution of different constituents to the total absorption coefficient at 440 nm, the particle single scattering albedo, and the specific inherent optical properties. This work has significant implications for the accuracy of standard ocean color remote sensing algorithms in coastal waters during flood events.