Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Column Experiment Results on Metal Ion Migration at the Xiangtan Manganese Mine Wasteland in Central South China

Abstract- Column experiment simulations were carried out to determine potential metal ion migration in order to establish the environmental impact of a manganese mine wasteland and to understand the transport dynamics of heavy metal migration by way of two different soil types (tailings and tailings mud) within the Xiangtan Manganese Mine wasteland. Simulations were conducted at the Research Section of Forest Ecology, CSUFT. Results show a lower water infiltration rate for tailings mud compared to tailings. Considerably higher water content was found in tailings mud, and leachate from tailings mud contained considerably higher metal ion concentrations. Mg, Mn, Ca, K, Zn, Ni, Pb, Fe, Cu, and Cd is the order of metallic ion concentrations from high to low found in the leachate of tailings. However, this order altered slightly during instances when a lower Mn concentration (compared to Ca) was found. Almost all tailings mud metal ion concentrations in the leachate were higher compared to tailings, especially in the case of Mn, which was higher by a factor of 25. K concentrations were also higher by a factor of 10. The primary metallic ions found in the leachate for both tailings mud and tailings were Mg, Mn, Ca, and K. Almost all metal ion concentrations for both leachates decreased sharply with an increase in the number of leaching events. Mg, Mn, Ca, and K concentrations were the highest during the first leaching event and decreased sharply during the following two leaching events. However, Ni, Pb, Fe, Cu, and Cd concentrations remained almost constant at very low concentrations, especially for the tailings leachate. These results, together with a detailed field investigation of prevailing conditions, would be useful for mine wasteland phytoremediation initiatives, and contribute to the development of ecological restoration.
Maternal dietary intake and pregnancy outcome.

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship between maternal diet and infant anthropometric measurements in 56 women, aged 28 +/- 5.1 years, with singleton pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN The overall quality of the diet (three 24-hour recalls), including supplementation, was evaluated at 34 +/- 1.3 weeks using a total mean adequacy ratio (TMAR) of 12 nutrients. Specific interviewing techniques were used to minimize social desirability bias. Anthropometric measurements of both parents and maternal lifestyle practices were also obtained. Infant weight, crown-heel length and head circumference were measured 14.6 +/- 4.4 days after birth. RESULTS Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that maternal diet quality (TMAR) was significantly related to infant weight (r = .039, P = .036) and crown-heel length (r = .071, P = .007). Other significant predictors included gestational age, maternal height, sex, smoking and physical activity. CONCLUSION Maternal diet was positively associated with infant weight and crown-heel length.
Learning Gating ConvNet for Two-Stream based Methods in Action Recognition

For the two-stream style methods in action recognition, fusing the two streams' predictions is always by the weighted averaging scheme. This fusion method with fixed weights lacks of pertinence to different action videos and always needs trial and error on the validation set. In order to enhance the adaptability of two-stream ConvNets and improve its performance, an end-to-end trainable gated fusion method, namely gating ConvNet, for the two-stream ConvNets is proposed in this paper based on the MoE (Mixture of Experts) theory. The gating ConvNet takes the combination of feature maps from the same layer of the spatial and the temporal nets as input and adopts ReLU (Rectified Linear Unit) as the gating output activation function. To reduce the over-fitting of gating ConvNet caused by the redundancy of parameters, a new multi-task learning method is designed, which jointly learns the gating fusion weights for the two streams and learns the gating ConvNet for action classification. With our gated fusion method and multi-task learning approach, a high accuracy of 94.5% is achieved on the dataset UCF101.
Gene therapy prevents photoreceptor death and preserves retinal function in a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model

Patients with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) experience severe retinal degeneration as a result of impaired photoreceptor transport processes that are not yet fully understood. To date, there is no effective treatment for BBS-associated retinal degeneration, and blindness is imminent by the second decade of life. Here we report the development of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector that rescues rhodopsin mislocalization, maintains nearly normal-appearing rod outer segments, and prevents photoreceptor death in the Bbs4-null mouse model. Analysis of the electroretinogram a-wave indicates that rescued rod cells are functionally indistinguishable from wild-type rods. These results demonstrate that gene therapy can prevent retinal degeneration in a mammalian BBS model.
Effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on resting metabolic rate, sub-maximal running and post-exercise oxygen consumption

Abstract Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), described as the acute weakness of the musculature after unaccustomed eccentric exercise, increases oxidative metabolism at rest and during endurance exercise. However, it is not known whether oxygen uptake during recovery from endurance exercise is increased when experiencing symptoms of EIMD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of EIMD on physiological and metabolic responses before, during and after sub-maximal running. After a 12 h fast, eight healthy male participants completed baseline measurements comprising resting metabolic rate (RMR), indirect markers of EIMD, 10 min of sub-maximal running and 30 min of recovery to ascertain excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Measurements were then repeated at 24 and 48 h after 100 Smith-machine squats. Data analysis revealed significant (P<0.05) increases in muscle soreness and creatine kinase (CK) and decreases in peak knee extensor torque at 24 and 48 h after squatting exercise. Moreover, RMR, physiological, metabolic and perceptual responses during sub-maximal running and EPOC were increased in the two days after squatting exercise (P<0.05). It is suggested that the elevated RMR was a consequence of a raised energy requirement for the degradation and resynthesis of damaged muscle fibres. The increased oxygen demand during sub-maximal running after muscle damage was responsible for the increase in EPOC. Individuals engaging in unaccustomed resistance exercise that results in muscle damage should be mindful of the increases in resting energy expenditure and increased metabolic demand to exercise in the days that follow.
The influence of psychosocial factors on the duration of breastfeeding

Aim: A study was undertaken to examine to what extent psychosocial factors are related to the length of breastfeeding. Methods: A cohort of Danish mothers giving birth to a single child was followed up for four months. Information on mother and baby including psychosocial variables was obtained from a self-report questionnaire. Breastfeeding status was subsequently monitored by a health visitor. Results: A total of 471 (88%) mothers participated, 98.7 % initiated breastfeeding and after four months 277 (59%) were still exclusive breastfeeding; 99 mothers, 51% of those who stopped, stopped within the first five weeks. In Cox regression analyses the duration of breastfeeding showed a positive association with mother's schooling ( p=0.002), her intention to breastfeed ( p=0.001), previous experience with breastfeeding ( p<0.001), self-efficacy with respect to breastfeeding ( p<0.001), her confidence in breastfeeding ( p=0.012) and knowledge about breastfeeding ( p=0.001). The effect of the mother's knowledge depended on the parity of the child. Among primiparous mothers high knowledge was associated with long duration of breastfeeding, but this association was not found among the multiparous. Conclusions: To help the mothers who would like to breastfeed their baby, we must improve our ability to identify mothers at risk of early cessation. Mother's schooling, her intention, self-efficacy and earlier breastfeeding experience can be used as early predictors. An intervention should aim at improving the self-efficacy and resources of these mothers, with a focus on practical knowledge. The first five weeks, when the largest proportion of the cessations occurred, require special attention.
Human Cytomegalovirus Transmission from the Uterus tothe Placenta Correlates with the Presence of Pathogenic Bacteria andMaternalImmunity

ABSTRACT Prenatal cytomegalovirus infection may cause pregnancy complications such as intrauterine growth restriction and birth defects. How virus from the mother traverses the placenta is unknown. PCR analysis of biopsy specimens of the maternal-fetal interface revealed that DNA sequences from cytomegalovirus were commonly found with those of herpes simplex viruses and pathogenic bacteria. Cytomegalovirus DNA and infected cell proteins were found more often in the decidua than in the placenta, suggesting that the uterus functions as a reservoir for infection. In women with low neutralizing titers, cytomegalovirus replicated in diverse decidual cells and placental trophoblasts and capillaries. In women with intermediate to high neutralizing titers, decidual infection was suppressed and the placenta was spared. Overall, cytomegalovirus virions and maternal immunoglobulin G were detected in syncytiotrophoblasts, villus core macrophages, and dendritic cells. These results suggest that the outcome of cytomegalovirus infection depends on the presence of other pathogens and coordinated immune responses to viral replication at the maternal-fetal interface.
Functional goal achievement in post-stroke spasticity patients: the BOTOX® Economic Spasticity Trial (BEST).

OBJECTIVE Evaluate changes in active and passive function with onabotulinumtoxinA + standard of care within goal-oriented rehabilitation programmes in adults with focal post-stroke spasticity. METHODS Prospective, 24-week double-blind study with an open-label extension. Subjects were randomized to onabotulinumtoxinA + standard of care or placebo + standard of care, at baseline and at 12 weeks, if judged appropriate, with follow-up to 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was the number of patients achieving their principal active functional goal at 24 weeks (or 10 weeks after an optional second injection). Secondary endpoints included achievement of a different active or a passive goal at this timepoint. RESULTS The intent-to-treat population comprised 273 patients. The proportion of patients achieving their principal active functional goal and secondary active functional goal with onabotulinumtoxinA + standard of care was not statistically different from placebo + standard of care. Significantly more patients achieved their secondary passive goal with onabotulinumtoxinA + standard of care (60.0%) vs. placebo + standard of care (38.6%) (odds ratio, 2.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-5.14) as well as higher Goal Attainment Scaling levels for upper limb and ankle flexor subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Addition of onabotulinumtoxinA to standard of care as part of goal-oriented rehabilitation in post-stroke spasticity patients significantly increased passive goal achievement and was associated with higher levels of active function.
Prevalence of Psychotic Symptoms in Those With Melancholic and Nonmelancholic Depression

Abstract The best classification of depressive disorders is still to be established. A melancholic subtype has a lengthy history, and recent research demonstrates its relevance. This study compares the prevalence of psychotic symptoms in nonmelancholic and melancholic depression and assesses whether there is a dimensional pattern in the severity of symptoms among the subtypes. Patients with unipolar depression were assessed for melancholic status, psychotic symptoms, and severity of depression. The diagnosis of melancholia was made by both Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), criteria and CORE measure. The DSM criteria assigned a much higher percentage of patients as melancholics (67.4%) than did the CORE (24.9%). Prevalence of psychosis was distinctly higher in the melancholics. Symptoms severity was higher among the melancholics when compared with the nonmelancholics. The presence of psychotic symptoms was not associated with an increase in the intensity of depressive symptoms. Psychotic symptoms are more frequently associated with the melancholic subtype of depression. This suggests clinical contiguity between the melancholic and psychotic subtypes and the clinical relevance of identifying melancholia.
Ligand-specific conformational transitions and intracellular transport are required for atypical chemokine receptor 3–mediated chemokine scavenging

The atypical chemokine receptor ACKR3 contributes to chemotaxis by binding, internalizing, and degrading the chemokines CXCL11 and CXCL12 to shape and terminate chemotactic gradients during development and immune responses. Although unable to trigger G protein activation, both ligands activate G protein–independent ACKR3 responses and prompt arrestin recruitment. This offers a model to specifically study ligand-specific receptor conformations leading to G protein–independent signaling and to functional parameters such as receptor transport and chemokine degradation. We here show chemokine specificity in arrestin recruitment, by different effects of single amino acid substitutions in ACKR3 on arrestin in response to CXCL12 or CXCL11. Chemokine specificity in receptor transport was also observed, as CXCL11 induced faster receptor internalization, slower recycling, and longer intracellular sojourn of ACKR3 than CXCL12. Internalization and recycling rates of the ACKR3 R1423.50A substitution in response to each chemokine were similar; however, ACKR3 R1423.50A degraded only CXCL12 and not CXCL11. This suggests that ligand-specific intracellular receptor transport is required for chemokine degradation. Remarkably, the failure of ACKR3 R1423.50A to degrade CXCL11 was not caused by the lack of arrestin recruitment; rather, arrestin was entirely dispensable for scavenging of either chemokine. This suggests the involvement of another, yet unidentified, ACKR3 effector in scavenging. In summary, our study correlates ACKR3 ligand-specific conformational transitions with chemokine-dependent receptor transport dynamics and points toward unexpected ligand specificity in the mechanisms of chemokine degradation.
VENOUS BLOOD GASES AND LACTATES OF WILD LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLES (CARETTA CARETTA) FOLLOWING TWO CAPTURE TECHNIQUES

During summer of 2001, venous blood gases were determined in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) captured by trawl (n=16) in coastal waters of South Carolina and Georgia (USA) as part of a sea turtle census program and captured in pound nets (n=6) in coastal North Carolina (USA) during a study of sea turtle population biology. Trawls were towed for 30 min, so turtles captured were forcibly submerged for ≤30 min. Pound nets are passive gear in which fish and sea turtles are funneled into a concentrated area and removed periodically. Sea turtles in pound nets are free to surface and to feed at will. Blood was obtained from the dorsal cervical sinus as quickly as possible after landing on the boat (range 2–10 min trawl, 1–2 min pound net) and at 30 min after landing just prior to release. Blood gases including pH, partial pressures of O2 and CO2 (pO2, pCO2), and lactate were measured within 10 min. Instrument measurements for pH, pO2, and pCO2 made at 37 C were corrected to cloacal temperature and HCO3− was calculated from temperature-corrected pH and pCO2. Venous blood pH and bicarbonate were higher, and pO2 and lactate were lower from pound net-captured turtles compared to trawl captured turtles at the initial sampling time. In pound net turtles, pH and bicarbonate declined and lactate increased during 30 min on deck. In trawled sea turtles, venous blood pH increased and pCO2 and pO2 decreased during the 30 min on deck. Both capture systems caused perturbations in blood gas, acid-base, and lactate status, though alterations were greater in trawl captured turtles.
Association between volatile sulfur compounds and periodontal disease progression in elderly non-smokers.

BACKGROUND Periodontal pathogenic microorganisms produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl sulfide. VSCs are toxic to periodontal tissue. Therefore, there is a relationship between periodontitis and the VSC level of mouth air. However, the association between VSC and periodontal disease progression has not been investigated in a longitudinal study. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between VSCs in mouth air and periodontal disease progression among elderly dentulous non-smokers. METHODS Two hundred forty-one dentulous non-smokers (103 males and 138 females; all 70 years old) had their VSC levels examined with a portable sulfide monitor, and their periodontal status was assessed. Periodontal examinations were performed at baseline and once a year for 3 years to investigate the clinical attachment levels of all teeth. Participants were classified by membership in tertile groups (lowest, middle, and highest) according to the value of baseline VSC measurements. RESULTS In negative binomial regression analysis, the number of teeth with periodontal disease progression for participants in the highest tertile of VSC measurement was greater (incidence rate ratio of 1.33, P = 0.011) than for the reference group (lowest tertile of VSC measurement) after simultaneously adjusting for sex, number of remaining teeth, and maximum clinical attachment level. CONCLUSIONS VSC measurements were significantly associated with periodontal disease progression in a non-smoking dentulous elderly population. This suggests that VSC measurements are useful for the diagnosis of periodontal disease progression.
A Dimensional Model for Common Mental Disorders

Although categorical diagnoses are valued by clinicians and those wishing to collect homogeneous groups of patients for research projects, in the field of non-psychotic mental disorders they correspond poorly to actual clinical syndromes. Indeed, patients often satisfy several sets of categorical criteria simultaneously. A more parsimonious representation of symptomatology can be obtained by using a dimensional model for symptoms – with two correlated axes corresponding to anxiety and depression for ratings derived from the Present State Examination. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview is likely to produce a third dimension – somatic symptoms – because of a radically different symptom content. Preliminary data analysis indicates that the somatic symptoms dimension correlates with both anxiety and depression. Symptomatic individuals in particular areas of dimensional space will satisfy several criteria for categorical diagnoses, and thus display comorbidity. However, evidence that these disorders are distinct is far from persuasive, as they appear to share several common causes.
Stability Limit of a Semiconductor Laser With Optical Feedback

This paper presents comprehensive studies on the stability of a semiconductor laser (SL) with external optical feedback. In particular, based on numerical computation on the Lang and Kobayashi equations, the stability limit under the condition of minimum linewidth is investigated, revealing how it is influenced by three major parameters associated with SL operation conditions, including the feedback strength (k), the external cavity length (L), and the injection current (J). In contrast to existing work in literature, the presented removed all the approximations and assumptions, hence resulting in relatively complete description of the stability limit. This paper presented leads to a number of important and interesting discoveries: 1) the possible stable area is broader than what is described by the existing work; 2) for long external cavities, the stability limit can be described by a linear relationship between k and L; and 3) on the stability limit, the critical feedback strength (kc) and critical external cavity length (Lc) are discovered, respectively, being proportional and inversely proportional to J and k.
N-(2-Hydroxylpropyl)-Methacrylamide–Attached Doxorubicin Induces Cytotoxicity to Prostate Cancer Cell Line DU145

ABSTRACT Successful use of doxorubicin as an antitumor agent is limited by its cardiotoxicity, which takes different forms and results from multiple biochemical alterations in the cell. This study addresses the possibility to overcome these adverse effects by studying the effects of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) polymer, which contains doxorubicin attaching to it. Both time-and dose-dependent studies were conducted using DU145 cell lines. The results of this study reveal that doxorubicin attached to HPMA can be used successfully in treating cancer instead of doxorubicin alone, which may open a new gate for clinicians and scientists, leading to overcoming the resistance and side effects of the currently used antitumor agents.
Different C-Reactive Protein Kinetics in Post-Operative Hip-Fractured Geriatric Patients with and without Complications

Background: Hip fracture is a frequent injury in the elderly, and is associated with a high incidence of functional impairment, complications and mortality. Objective: To determine kinetics of C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in hip-fractured patients over a 1-month post-operative period; to examine the relationship of these parameters to cognition, operation type, post-operational complications, functional level 1 month post-operatively and 6-month mortality. Methods and Subjects: 32 aged patients operated on for hip fracture were prospectively followed-up for 6 months. Fracture, type of operation and anesthetic risk were recorded. Cognition was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination and pre-fracture functional level evaluated by the Katz Index of ADL. Follow-up included complications, mortality and functional outcome. CRP, fibrinogen and ESR were assessed during the first 10 h post-fracture; 48–60 h, and 7 and 30 days post-operatively, respectively. Results: Only CRP kinetics were found to differ in patients with complications vs. those without, as a group (p = 0.006), and in patients suffering infections, delirium and cardiovascular complication vs. patients with no complications (p = 0.06, 0.03, 0.02, respectively). Mean (±SEM) CRP 48–60 h post-operatively was 20.9 ± 2.1 and 13.1 ± 1.6 mg/dl in complicated and uncomplicated patients, respectively (p = 0.002). The mean CRP 48–60 h post-operatively was highly correlated with the CRP area under the curve, R = 0.88 (p < 0.001). A cut-off level of 15 mg/dl for CRP, 48– 60 h post-operatively, was calculated for patients with complications (sensitivity 93%, specificity 65%, p = 0.003). CRP, fibrinogen and ESR were not related to fracture or type of operation, cognition, anesthetic risk, 1-month post-operative functioning and 6-month mortality. Conclusions: CRP measurement in elderly patients operated for hip fracture may be valuable in assessing and monitoring complications.