Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ground Plasma Tank Modeling and Comparison to Measurements

ONERA plasma tank JONAS is populated with drifting Ar+ argon ions representative of a low Earth orbit environment, produced by a Kaufman source, and slow ions created by charge exchange with the background pressure of argon. When testing a mock-up or space equipment in this tank, it is often important to determine the drifting and slow ion densities in various locations. The orbital and radial motion models are compared to experimental current-voltage measurements and to numerical results. In the range of parameters used in this paper, the radial motion model is more adapted than the orbital-motion-limited model to determine slow ion density. Nevertheless, the number of measurements is necessarily limited and discriminating between fast and slow ions is not easy. A complementary approach consists in performing a numerical simulation of the plasma dynamics in the tank. Provided the modeled physics is validated, and the modeling is calibrated through measurements, this approach supplies fast and slow ion densities everywhere with an acceptable factor of uncertainty. This approach has been followed by characterizing in detail a given plasma configuration in JONAS and modeling it with Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software open source code. The mock-up was a simple plate. We measured the plasma characteristics through numerous current-voltage sweeps and current space profiles at given probe potential. The modeling was based on fast ion beam measurements close to the source and the residual pressure.
The Influence of Training and Mental Skills Preparation on Injury Incidence and Performance in Marathon Runners

Abstract Hamstra-Wright, KL, Coumbe-Lilley, JE, Kim, H, McFarland, JA, and Huxel Bliven, KC. The influence of training and mental skills preparation on injury incidence and performance in marathon runners. J Strength Cond Res 27(10): 2828–2835, 2013—There has been a considerable increase in the number of participants running marathons over the past several years. The 26.2-mile race requires physical and mental stamina to successfully complete it. However, studies have not investigated how running and mental skills preparation influence injury and performance. The purpose of our study was to describe the training and mental skills preparation of a typical group of runners as they began a marathon training program, assess the influence of training and mental skills preparation on injury incidence, and examine how training and mental skills preparation influence marathon performance. Healthy adults (N = 1,957) participating in an 18-week training program for a fall 2011 marathon were recruited for the study. One hundred twenty-five runners enrolled and received 4 surveys: pretraining, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, posttraining. The pretraining survey asked training and mental skills preparation questions. The 6- and 12-week surveys asked about injury incidence. The posttraining survey asked about injury incidence and marathon performance. Tempo runs during training preparation had a significant positive relationship to injury incidence in the 6-week survey (&rgr;[93] = 0.26, p = 0.01). The runners who reported incorporating tempo and interval runs, running more miles per week, and running more days per week in their training preparation ran significantly faster than did those reporting less tempo and interval runs, miles per week, and days per week (p ⩽ 0.05). Mental skills preparation did not influence injury incidence or marathon performance. To prevent injury, and maximize performance, while marathon training, it is important that coaches and runners ensure that a solid foundation of running fitness and experience exists, followed by gradually building volume, and then strategically incorporating runs of various speeds and distances.
Influence of the cyclic variation of hydration status on hemoglobin levels in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients were studied to assess the effect on hemoglobin (Hb) concentration induced by the cyclic variation in hydration status. METHODS Forty-nine HD patients were examined in three consecutive HD sessions in a 1-week treatment period. In a subgroup of 23 patients, Hb levels also were investigated during the long interdialytic interval. RESULTS Hb levels at the end of the long interdialytic interval were significantly lower by 0.5 to 0.6 g/dL (5 to 6 g/L) than those at the end of short intervals. Among all pre-HD and post-HD Hb values, levels measured at the end of short intervals were closest to the mean Hb value of the week, derived from calculation of the area under the curve (12.0 +/- 0.2 g/dL [120 +/- 2 g/L]). Intradialytic Hb increments were different in the three sessions (+1.6 +/- 0.1 g/dL [+16 +/- 1 g/L] after the long interval, +1.1 +/- 0.1 g/dL [+11 +/- 1 g/L] and +1.1 +/- 0.1 g/dL [+11 +/- 1 g/L] after short intervals [P < 0.001] and proportionate to weight loss [-3.4 +/- 0.1, -2.7 +/- 0.1, and -2.6 +/- 0.1 kg, respectively; P < 0.001]). Hb level increment and weight loss correlated directly (r = 0.527; P < 0.0001); each 1 L of ultrafiltration (UF) led to an increase in Hb level of approximately 0.4 g/dL (4 g/L). Plasma refilling accounted for an approximately 45% decrement in the intradialytic increase in Hb level 2 hours post-HD. CONCLUSION This study suggests that: (1) the end of the short interdialytic period is the most appropriate timing for anemia assessment, and (2) the remarkable hemodiluting effect of post-HD plasma refilling protects against excessive increments in Hb levels induced by UF.
IL‐17E (IL‐25) and IL‐17RB promote respiratory syncytial virus‐induced pulmonary disease

One of the most severe pathologic responses of RSV infection is associated with overproduction of cytokines and inflammation, leading to mucus hypersecretion. This study investigated the role of IL‐25 in the development of RSV‐associated immunopathology. IL‐25 and its receptor IL‐17RB were increased following RSV infection, and IL‐25 blockade using neutralizing antibodies reduced RSV‐associated pathology, AHR, and type 2 cytokine production. Likewise, IL‐17RB−/− mice demonstrated a modified inflammatory response during RSV infection characterized by decreased Th2 and increased Th17 cytokine production. Additionally, the IL‐17RB−/− mice demonstrated significantly reduced inflammation and cytokine production in a model of RSV‐driven asthma exacerbation. These results indicate that IL‐25 regulates the inflammatory response to RSV infection and that its inhibition may enable a reduction in the severity of RSV‐associated pulmonary inflammation, including during viral‐induced asthma exacerbation.
Transformed up-down methods in psychoacoustics.

During the past decade a number of variations in the simple up‐down procedure have been used in psychoacoustic testing. A broad class of these methods is described with due emphasis on the related problems of parameter estimation and the efficient placing of observations. The advantages of up‐down methods are many, including simplicity, high efficiency, robustness, small‐sample reliability, and relative freedom from restrictive assumptions. Several applications of these procedures in psychoacoustics are described, including examples where conventional techniques are inapplicable.
Exoglucanase activities of the recombinant Clostridium thermocellum CelS, a major cellulosome component

The recombinant CelS (rCelS), the most abundant catalytic subunit of the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome, displayed typical exoglucanase characteristics, including (i) a preference for amorphous or crystalline cellulose over carboxymethyl cellulose, (ii) an inability to reduce the viscosity of a carboxymethyl cellulose solution, and (iii) the production of few bound reducing ends on the solid substrate. The hydrolysis products from crystalline cellulose were cellobiose and cellotriose at a ratio of 5:1. The rCelS activity on amorphous cellulose was optimal at 70 degrees C and at pH 5 to 6. Its thermostability was increased by Ca2+. Sulfhydryl reagents had only a mild adverse effect on the rCelS activity. Cellotetraose was the smallest oligosaccharide substrate for rCelS, and the hydrolysis rate increased with the substrate chain length. Many of these properties were consistent with those of the cellulosome, indicating a key role for CelS.
Empirical Forecasting of Slow-Onset Disasters for Improved Emergency Response : An Application to Kenya ’ s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands

The authors would like to thank Luc Christaensen, Allan Kute, Francesca Molinari, Nicholas Ndiwa, Kamau Ngamau, Abisalom Omolo, Maren Radney, Rob Rose, Julia Stone, Ben Watkins, Stephen Younger and seminar participants at Cornell University for all their helpful comments, insights and assistance. This research was partly funded by the USAID’s Pastoral Risk Management (PARIMA) program, the International Livestock Research Institute, and the World Bank. We also acknowledge the contribution of the USAID Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Programs (GL-CRSP), Livestock Early Warning System (LEWS), and its successor the Livestock Information Network and Knowledge System (LINKS).
Mouse interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) p40 homodimer: a potent IL‐12 antagonist

Interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) is a cytokine that has regulatory effects on T and natural killer (NK) cells and is composed of two disulfide‐bonded subunits, p40 and p35. It was recently reported that supernatants from cultures of mouse IL‐12 (moIL‐12) p40‐transfected COS cells could inhibit IL‐12‐dependent responses in vitro (Mattner, F., et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 1993. 23: 2202). We have further characterized the nature of the inhibitory substance. Purified mouse p40 produced in a baculovirus expression system was found to consist of two species: the p40 monomer and a disulfide‐linked p40 dimer [(p40)2]. The (p40)2 was 25‐ to 50‐fold more active than the p40 monomer in causing specific, dose‐dependent inhibition of IL‐12‐induced mouse concanavalin A (Con A) blast proliferation and could also inhibit IL‐12‐induced interferon‐λ (IFN‐λ) secretion by mouse splenocytes and IL‐12‐dependent activation of mouse NK cells. Competitive binding studies on mouse Con A blasts showed that (p40)2 was equally effective as moIL‐12 in competing with 125I‐labeled moIL‐12 ([125I]moIL‐12) for binding to mouse Con A blasts. However, in contrast to moIL‐12, mouse (p40)2 displayed little ability to compete with 125I‐labeled human IL‐12 (huIL‐12) for binding to high‐affinity IL‐12 receptors (IL‐12R) on human phytohemagglutinin (PHA) blasts and caused little or no inhibition of huIL‐12‐induced human PHA blast proliferation. Nonetheless, mouse (p40)2 was equally effective as moIL‐12 in competing with [125I] huIL‐12 for binding to COS cells transfected with the human IL‐12R β subunit and expressing low‐affinity IL‐12 binding sites. These results suggest that (i) the majority of the structural determinants required for binding of IL‐12 to its receptor are contained within the p40 subunit, but p35 is required for signaling, (ii) the p40 subunit of IL‐12 interacts with the β subunit of IL‐12R, and (iii) (p40)2 may be a suitable IL‐12 antagonist for studying the role of IL‐12 in various immune responses in vivo as well as in vitro. Further studies are required to determine whether or not (p40)2 is produced by normal lymphoid cells and is a physiologic regulator of IL‐12 activity.
Upper Extremity Shortness in Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Objective: To evaluate upper extremity shortness in patients with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) and to investigate the association between extremity shortness, motor level, and muscle tone. Design: Prospective, controlled study. Subjects: Forty-two children with HCP and 29 healthy children. Methods: Radiographs of the involved and the uninvolved humerus, forearm, and hands were obtained with a radiographic ruler placed adjacent to the extremity. The lengths and the diameters of both the diaphyses and metaphyses of the humerus, ulna, radius, and the second and the fifth metacarpal bones were measured in patients and the control group. The discrepancy was calculated as a percentage compared with the normal side. The Ashworth Scale was used in the evaluation of spasticity, and the Brunnstrom recovery staging was used in the motor evaluation. Results: Children with HCP had significant differences in bone lengths and diameters compared with control children. There was no significant correlation between the upper extremity Brunnstrom stagings and the differences of bone length and diameter. A significant correlation was observed between the hand Brunnstrom staging and percentage difference of the bone length and diameter. The spasticity level showed no relation to the differences in bone length and diameter. Conclusions: Children with HCP have significant side-to-side limb-length discrepancy when compared with control children. The discrepancy increases with age. The extent of shortening did not appear to be related to upper extremity function and spasticity. The extremity shortness showed a relation to hand function.
The key host for an invasive forest pathogen also facilitates the pathogen's survival of wildfire in California forests.

The first wildfires in sudden oak death-impacted forests occurred in 2008 in the Big Sur region of California, creating the rare opportunity to study the interaction between an invasive forest pathogen and a historically recurring disturbance. To determine whether and how the sudden oak death pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, survived the wildfires, we completed intensive vegetation-based surveys in forest plots that were known to be infested before the wildfires. We then used 24 plot-based variables as predictors of P. ramorum recovery following the wildfires. The likelihood of recovering P. ramorum from burned plots was lower than in unburned plots both 1 and 2 yr following the fires. Post-fire recovery of P. ramorum in burned plots was positively correlated with the number of pre-fire symptomatic California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), the key sporulating host for this pathogen, and negatively correlated with post-fire bay laurel mortality levels. Patchy burn patterns that left green, P. ramorum-infected bay laurel amidst the charred landscape may have allowed these trees to serve as inoculum reservoirs that could lead to the infection of newly sprouting vegetation, further highlighting the importance of bay laurel in the sudden oak death disease cycle.
Sustained Exogenous Expression of Therapeutic Levels of IFN-γ Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis in NC/Nga Mice via Th1 Polarization

The short in vivo half-life of IFN-γ can prevent the cytokine from inducing immunological changes that are favorable for the treatment of Th2-dominant diseases, such as atopic dermatitis. To examine whether a sustained supply of IFN-γ is effective in regulating the balance of Th lymphocyte subpopulations, plasmid vector encoding mouse IFN-γ, pCpG-Muγ, or pCMV-Muγ was injected into the tail vein of NC/Nga mice, a model for human atopic dermatitis. A single hydrodynamic injection of a CpG motif reduced pCpG-Muγ at a dose of 0.14 μg/mouse resulted in a sustained concentration of IFN-γ in the serum, and the concentration was maintained at >300 pg/ml over 80 d. The pCpG-Muγ–mediated IFN-γ gene transfer was associated with an increase in the serum concentration of IL-12, reduced production of IgE, and inhibition of mRNA expression of IL-4, -5, -10, -13, and -17 and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in the spleen. These immunological changes were not clearly observed in mice receiving two injections of 20 μg pCMV-Muγ, a CpG-replete plasmid DNA, because of the transient nature of the expression from the vector. The mice receiving pCpG-Muγ showed a significant reduction in the severity of skin lesions and in the intensity of their scratching behavior. Furthermore, high transepidermal water loss, epidermal thickening, and infiltration of lymphocytes and eosinophils, all of which were obvious in the untreated mice, were significantly inhibited. These results indicate that an extraordinary sustained IFN-γ expression induces favorable immunological changes, leading to a Th1-dominant state in the atopic dermatitis model.
Determinants of Diagnostic Performance Of [F-18]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography for Axillary Staging in Breast Cancer

ObjectiveTo prospectively investigate determinants of the accuracy of staging axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer using [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET). MethodsPatients with primary operable breast cancer underwent FDG PET of the chest followed by sentinel node biopsy (SNB, n = 47) and/or complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND, n = 23). PET scans were independently interpreted by three observers in a blinded fashion with respect to the FDG avidity of the primary tumor and the axillary status. The results were compared to histopathological analyses of the axillary lymph nodes. Clinicians were blinded to the PET results. ResultsAxillary lymph node specimens and FDG PET scans were evaluated in 70 patients (59% cT1). Overall, 32 (46%) had lymph node metastases as established by SNB (18/47) or ALND (14/23), 20 of which were confined to a single node. The overall sensitivity of FDG PET was 25%, with a specificity of 97%. PET results were false-negative in all 18 positive SNBs and true-positive in 8/14 in the ALND group. The performance of FDG PET depended on the axillary tumor load and the FDG avidity of the primary tumor. Intense uptake in the primary tumor was found in only 57% of the patients, and this was independent of the size. There was excellent interobserver agreement of visual assessment of FDG uptake in primary tumor and axillary lymph nodes. ConclusionsThe sensitivity of FDG PET to detect occult axillary metastases in operable breast cancer was low, and it was a function of axillary tumor load and FDG avidity of the primary tumor. Even though the clinical relevance of occult disease detected by SNB needs to be confirmed, it is suggested that FDG PET in these patients should be focused on exploiting its nearly perfect specificity and the potential prognostic relevance of variable FDG uptake.
Effects of volume history during spontaneous and acutely induced air-flow obstruction in asthma.

We examined the volume history effect on maximal expiratory flow (Vmax) in patients with asthma by comparing Vmax at 60% of VC from forced exhalation maneuvers begun just above FRC (partial, P) with those begun from TLC (maximal, M) and expressed the results as M-P ratios. In a clinic population with varying degrees of obstruction, we found that M-P ratios varied inversely with the severity of the obstructive process, i.e., the more severely obstructed patients had a fall in Vmax after a deep inhalation (DI). By contrast, equally severe obstruction acutely induced in subjects with mild asthma was associated with an increase in Vmax after a DI. There was no difference between the spontaneous versus the induced groups in degree of nonhomogeneity as assessed by single-breath nitrogen tests. Changes in specific airway conductance after a DI during spontaneous obstruction were in the same direction as the changes in Vmax, and the time course for restitution of airway caliber in subjects who showed bronchoconstriction after a DI was significantly longer than for those subjects who showed bronchodilatation. We conclude that in severe bronchial asthma with spontaneous obstruction, a DI produces an increase in severity that is opposite to the results found in acutely induced obstruction, and the time course for reestablishing baseline airway caliber is more prolonged. We suggest that mechanisms for and sites of obstruction vary between the 2 groups.
The value of video in work at a distance: Addition or distraction?

This paper reports on a laboratory experiment aimed at exploring the importance of person versus task space in supporting work at a distance through Multimedia Desktop Systems (MDSs). Person space refers to the ability to see and hear remote colleagues while task space refers to the ability to share work-related artifacts. A 2×2×4 mixed factorial experimental design was used (n=72) in which video quality (broad band vs narrow band) was varied for the display of remote colleagues, group size (point-to-point vs point-to-multipoint), and task. Surprisingly, subjects not only rated the poor quality video conditions more highly than good quality video conditions, but they also completed their tasks faster. These findings are explained in terms of a distraction effect imposed by the display of remote colleagues. This has practical implications for the design of MDSs.
A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators to Mammography in Hispanic Women

Purpose: A systematic review of the research on barriers and facilitators to mammography in Latinas was conducted to determine if the challenges faced by these women are unique to this population. Method: Medline and CINAHL database searches for the years 2005-2013 were included. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were used to guide this review. Results: Of the 174 articles identified, 18 articles met inclusion criteria. The most consistent findings were that income and education were associated with screening. Conclusions: Financial barriers and social characteristics were significant predictors of mammography in these studies, which were composed almost exclusively of low-income Latinas. These findings are similar to those found in other populations of low-income women and therefore are not likely unique to Latinas. Implications for Practice: It is likely that there is little difference between poor Latinas and other populations of poor, non-English-speaking women in barriers and facilitators to mammography.
A 0.5V GFSK 200μW limiter/demodulator with bulk-driven technique for Low-IF bluetooth

This paper presents a low-voltage IF processor including a limiter and a DLL-based demodulator for bluetooth receiver. The limiter amplifies the received IF signals with constant envelope. The demodulator detects and manipulates the edges of the IF signal. To achieve 0.5V operation the bulk-driven technique are extensively used in amplifier design nd more digital-like operations are used in demodulator. With the IF frequency of 3MHz, the power consumption of the limiter and demodulator is only 200μW. The core area is 0.36 mm2 using a standard 0.18-μm CMOS process. Measurement result shows that a 18.7-dB input signal-to-noise ratio is obtained for a 0.1% bit error rate.