Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass for the International Space Station (ISS-CREAM) Instrument

The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass for the International Space Station (ISS-CREAM) instrument is designed and built to measure elemental spectra of cosmic-ray nuclei (1 ≤ Z ≤ 26) and electrons. It will measure energy of incident cosmic rays from 1011 to 10^15 eV with a tungsten/scintillator sampling calorimeter and densified carbon target with an interaction length of ~ 1 λL. A finely segmented, four-layer silicon charge detector will identify the elemental composition with a resolution of ~ 0.15e. The instrument is triggered by selectable, independent, and combined algorithms from the calorimeter and a scintillator-based counting detector on the top and bottom of the calorimeter. The counting detectors also provide separation of protons and electrons using differences in the shower shapes. A boronated scintillator detector provides additional e/p separation by looking at late scintillation light produced by a particle interacting in the calorimeter system. ISS-CREAM underwent vibrational, electromagnetic, thermal/vacuum, and telemetry systems tests at various NASA f acilities to qualify for rocket transportation and space operations. All testing and integration were completed and ISS-CREAM was delivered to NASA. It is now flight ready and waiting for launch on SpaceX-12 in 2017. ISS-CREAM integration, environmental qualification, and instrument performance will be presented.
Activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis With Repetitive Umbilical Cord Occlusion in the Preterm Ovine Fetus

Objective: To determine whether repeated hypoxic insults with umbiblical cord occlusion over 4 days will lead to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis altered adrenocortical responsiveness in the preterm ovine fetus. Methods: Umbiblical cord occlusions of 90 seconds duration were performed every 30 minutes for 3 to 5 hours each day (experimental group n = 7, control group n = 7; at 112-116 days' gestation, term = 147 days). Arterial blood was sampled at predetermined times for blood gases and pH, palsma ACTH, and cortisol. Pituitary proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA also were localized and quantified by in situ hybridization. Results: During umbiblical cord occlusions fetal arterial oxygen pressure (approximately) 17 mmHg) and pH (approximately 0.05) decreased, and carbon dioxide pressure increased (approximately 8 mmHg) as measured on days 1 and 4, but with no cumulative blood gas or pH change over successive occlusions for any of the 4 study days. Plasma ACTH increased, as measured after cord occlusion and over the course of successive cord occlusions on days 1 and 4, and returned to control values by the next day. The cumulative increase in ACTH was much less on day 4 than day 1 (15 ± 3 compared with 101 ± 25 pg/mL, P < .05). Plasma cortisol increased, as measured after cord occlusion and over the course of successive cord occlusions on day 4 only (2.7 ± 0.4 to 4.7 ± 0.3 ng/mL, P < .05). POMC mRNA increased 2.5-fold in the pars distalis of the pituitaries from cord occlusion compared to control fetuses, but was unchanged in the pars intermedia. GR mRNA, which was detected in the pars distalis only, was unaltered. Conclusion: Repetitive unbiblical cord occlusion in the preterm ovine fetus resulted in the activation of the HPA axis, with increased adrenocortical responsiveness over time, and involved differential regulation of POMC mRNA expression in the pars ditalis and pars intermedia of the pituitary, but with no change in GR.
Response of growth, photosynthetic gas exchange, translocation of 13C-labelled photosynthate and N accumulation in two soybean (Glycine max L.) Merrill) cultivars to drought stress

Two soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) cultivars, Shin-Tanbakuro and Midori, were grown under mild water stress conditions for 11 days at the vegetative growth stage in order to examine the effect of drought stress on plant biomass production, photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and photoassimilate translocation along with changes in carbohydrates and nitrogen. Relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), plant growth rate (GR) and relative leaf area expansion rate (RLER) were decreased by drought and this reduction was greater in cultivar Shin-Tanbakuro than in Modori. Photosynthetic gas exchange (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and transpiration rate (E) in both cultivars were severely decreased by drought; however, the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and apparent photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR) were not affected by drought. Drought stress did not affect the export of C-labelled photosynthate from leaves to stem and roots. Drought decreased the starch concentration in leaves of both cultivars, but the soluble sugar concentration increased more in Midori than in Shin-Tanbakuro. The nitrogen accumulation in plants was decreased by drought in both cultivars, but the reduction in N accumulation in leaves and roots was higher in Shin-Tanbakuro. Results suggested that Midori is more tolerant to drought stress than Shin-Tanbakuro by virtue of greater nitrogen uptake and supply to developing leaves in improving growth.
RankEval: An Evaluation and Analysis Framework for Learning-to-Rank Solutions

In this demo paper we propose RankEval, an open-source tool for the analysis and evaluation of Learning-to-Rank (LtR) models based on ensembles of regression trees. Gradient Boosted Regression Trees (GBRT) is a flexible statistical learning technique for classification and regression at the state of the art for training effective LtR solutions. Indeed, the success of GBRT fostered the development of several open-source LtR libraries targeting efficiency of the learning phase and effectiveness of the resulting models. However, these libraries offer only very limited help for the tuning and evaluation of the trained models. In addition, the implementations provided for even the most traditional IR evaluation metrics differ from library to library, thus making the objective evaluation and comparison between trained models a difficult task. RankEval addresses these issues by providing a common ground for LtR libraries that offers useful and interoperable tools for a comprehensive comparison and in-depth analysis of ranking models.
Distinct Sequence Motifs within the 68-kDa Subunit of Cleavage Factor Im Mediate RNA Binding, Protein-Protein Interactions, and Subcellular Localization*

Cleavage factor Im (CF Im) is required for the first step in pre-mRNA 3′-end processing and can be reconstituted in vitro from its heterologously expressed 25- and 68-kDa subunits. The binding of CF Im to the pre-mRNA is one of the earliest steps in the assembly of the cleavage and polyadenylation machinery and facilitates the recruitment of other processing factors. We identified regions in the subunits of CF Im involved in RNA binding, protein-protein interactions, and subcellular localization. CF Im68 has a modular domain organization consisting of an N-terminal RNA recognition motif and a C-terminal alternating charge domain. However, the RNA recognition motif of CF Im68 on its own is not sufficient to bind RNA but is necessary for association with the 25-kDa subunit. RNA binding appears to require a CF Im68/25 heterodimer. Whereas multiple protein interactions with other 3′-end-processing factors are detected with CF Im25, CF Im68 interacts with SRp20, 9G8, and hTra2β, members of the SR family of splicing factors, via its C-terminal alternating charge domain. This domain is also required for targeting CF Im68 to the nucleus. However, CF Im68 does not concentrate in splicing speckles but in foci that partially colocalize with paraspeckles, a subnuclear component in which other proteins involved in transcriptional control and RNA processing have been found.
Significant association between ABO blood group and pancreatic cancer.

AIM To evaluate whether the ABO blood group is related to pancreatic cancer risk in the general population of the United States. METHODS Using the University of Pittsburgh's clinical pancreatic cancer registry, the blood donor database from our local blood bank (Central Blood Bank), and the blood product recipient database from the regional transfusion service (Centralized Transfusion Service) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we identified 274 pancreatic cancer patients with previously determined serological ABO blood group information. The ABO blood group frequency was compared between these patients and 708 842 individual, community-based blood donors who had made donations to Pittsburgh's Central Blood Bank between 1979 and 2009. RESULTS The frequency of blood group A was statistically significantly higher amongst pancreatic cancer patients compared to its frequency amongst the regional blood donors [47.63% vs 39.10%, odds ratio (OR) = 1.43, P = 0.004]. Conversely, the frequency of blood group O was significantly lower amongst pancreatic cancer patients relative to the community blood donors (32.12% vs 43.99%, OR = 0.60, P = 0.00007). There were limited blood group B (n = 38) and AB (n = 17) pancreatic cancer patients; the overall P trend value comparing patient to donor blood groups was 0.001. CONCLUSION The ABO blood group is associated with pancreatic cancer risk. Future studies should examine the mechanism linking pancreatic cancer risk to ABO blood group.
Ozone-Induced Expression of Stress-Related Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

Ozone is a major gaseous pollutant that is known to have detrimental effects on plant growth and metabolism. We have investigated the effects of ozone on Arabidopsis thaliana growth and the pattern of expression of several stress-related genes. A. thaliana plants treated with either 150 or 300 parts per billion (ppb) ozone daily for 6 h exhibited reduced growth and leaf curling. Fresh and dry weights of ozone-treated plants were reduced 30 to 48% compared to ambient air controls. RNA blot analyses demonstrated that mRNA levels for glutathione S-transferase (GST), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), a neutral peroxidase, and a cytosolic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) were higher in plants treated with 300 ppb ozone than in ambient air-treated controls. The mRNA levels of lipoxygenase and a catalase were not affected by ozone treatment. Of the transcripts examined, GST mRNA levels increased the most, showing a 26-fold induction 3 h after the initiation of ozone treatment. PAL mRNA was also rapidly induced, reaching 3-fold higher levels than controls within 3 h of ozone treatment. The neutral peroxidase and SOD mRNA levels rose more slowly, with both reaching maximum levels corresponding to 5-fold and 3-fold induction, respectively, approximately 12 h after ozone treatment. These studies indicate that ozone-induced expression of stress-related genes in A. thaliana provides an excellent model system for investigating the molecular and genetic basis of ozone-induced responses in plants.
Participation of the homing pigeon thalamofugal visual pathway in sun‐compass associative learning

The ascending thalamofugal visual pathway in pigeons (Columba livia) terminates in the telencephalic wulst. Characterizing the role of this pathway in visually guided behaviour has remained a challenge. To determine whether this pathway, and in particular the wulst, may participate in sun‐compass‐guided behaviour in homing pigeons, intact, ectostriatum‐lesioned or wulst‐lesioned pigeons were trained to use their sun compass to locate the direction of a food reward in an outdoor, octagonal arena. Control and ectostriatum‐lesioned pigeons learned the task well, and orientated appropriately during the first trial of the last three training sessions and after a phase‐shift manipulation. In contrast, the wulst‐lesioned pigeons learned the task but they took more sessions to learn, and their directional choices were more scattered during the first trial of the last three training sessions and after the phase‐shift manipulation. A subsequent regression analysis indicated that deeper layers of the wulst might have made more of a contribution to the observed behavioural impairments. The data indicate that the homing pigeon wulst participates in visually guided behaviour when the sun compass is used to learn the directional location of a goal.
Effect of High Pressure on Physicochemical Properties of Meat

The application of high pressure offers some interesting opportunities in the processing of muscle-based food products. It is well known that high-pressure processing can prolong the shelf life of meat products in addition to chilling but the pressure-labile nature of protein systems limits the commercial range of applications. High pressure can affect the texture and gel-forming properties of myofibrillar proteins and, hence, has been suggested as a physical and additive-free alternative to tenderize and soften or restructure meat and fish products. However, the rate and magnitude at which pressure and temperature effects take place in muscles are variable and depend on a number of circumstances and conditions that are still not precisely known. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the effects of high pressure on muscle tissue over a range of temperatures as it relates to meat texture, microstructure, color, enzymes, lipid oxidation, and pressure-induced gelation of myofibrillar proteins.
Race, Ethnicity and Use of the National Park System

census. By 2050, ethnic minority groups are expected to comprise more than 47% of the U.S. population while accounting for nearly 9 of every 10 persons added to the population (Murdock 1995). Yet, racial and ethnic minorities are largely absent among visitor populations of most national parks (Goldsmith 1994). As stated in the National Park Service 1997 Strategic Plan, the low visibility of racial and ethnic minorities in national parks:
Enhanced Feature Extraction for Speech Detection in Media Audio

Speech detection is an important first step for audio analysis on media contents, whose goal is to discriminate the presence of speech from non-speech. It remains a challenge owing to various sound sources included in media audio. In this work, we present a novel audio feature extraction method to reflect the acoustic characteristic of the media audio in the timefrequency domain. Since the degree of combination of harmonic and percussive components varies depending on the type of sound source, the audio features which further distinguish between speech and non-speech can be obtained by decomposing the signal into both components. For the evaluation, we use over 20 hours of drama which manually annotated for speech detection as well as 4 full-length movies with annotations released for a research community, whose total length is over 8 hours. Experimental results with deep neural network show superior performance of the proposed in media audio condition.
Regulation of Ergothioneine Biosynthesis and Its Effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis Growth and Infectivity*

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis synthesizes ergothioneine, a sulfur-containing molecule with unknown function. Results: egtD encodes for a histidine methyltransferase that is essential for ergothioneine biosynthesis and is negatively regulated through M. tuberculosis serine/threonine protein kinase D. Conclusion: M. tuberculosis modulates intracellular ergothioneine levels in response to starvation. Significance: Mechanisms by which M. tuberculosis senses and adapts to nutrient starvation is essential for understanding persistence and disease latency. Ergothioneine (EGT) is synthesized in mycobacteria, but limited knowledge exists regarding its synthesis, physiological role, and regulation. We have identified Rv3701c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis to encode for EgtD, a required histidine methyltransferase that catalyzes first biosynthesis step in EGT biosynthesis. EgtD was found to be phosphorylated by the serine/threonine protein kinase PknD. PknD phosphorylates EgtD both in vitro and in a cell-based system on Thr213. The phosphomimetic (T213E) but not the phosphoablative (T213A) mutant of EgtD failed to restore EGT synthesis in a ΔegtD mutant. The findings together with observed elevated levels of EGT in a pknD transposon mutant during in vitro growth suggests that EgtD phosphorylation by PknD negatively regulates EGT biosynthesis. We further showed that EGT is required in a nutrient-starved model of persistence and is needed for long term infection of murine macrophages.
Determinants of Hospital Admission and Case Fatality in Diabetic Patients With Myocardial Infarction

We compare the clinical features and hospital outcomes in 83 diabetic patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction and 380 nondiabetic patients with levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) low enough to exclude undiagnosed diabetes. The hospital mortality was 42.2% in diabetic and 24.7% in nondiabetic patients, an odds ratio of 2.22 (Cl 1.37-3.60, P < .002). The excess mortality was due to cardiogenic shock and left ventricular failure (pump failure). There was no difference in peak levels of aspartate transaminase between the groups. Among the diabetic patients, the admission levels of plasma glucose and peak levels of aspartate transaminase were higher among those who developed pump failure or died, but there was no relationship between outcome and gender, disease duration, or treatment. Prior blood glucose control, as judged by levels of HbA1c, was not related to hospital outcome (P > .5). In a further study, the 83 diabetic patients were compared with 249 age- and sex-matched diabetic subjects without myocardial infarction for treatment, disease duration, and control. There was an increased risk of admission with myocardial infarction of 2.35 (Cl 1.41-3.92, P < .005) within the first 5 yr of diagnosis of diabetes. Infarct patients had significantly lower levels of HbA1c than control subjects (P < .005), but treatment did not differ between groups. Neither incidence nor case fatality of myocardial infarction in diabetic patients is positively associated with cumulative glycemic exposure.
Factors influencing the action of morphine on acetylcholine release in the guinea-pig intestine.

Morphine depresses the resting output of acetylcholine (Ach) in the guinea-pig ileum (Schaumann, 1957) and also the raised output following electrical stimulation (Paton, 1957). Since the latter effect is consistent with a site of action of morphine on postganglionic cholinergic nerves in the intestine (Paton, 1957, 1963), the question arises whether effects of the drug on Ach release in the resting intestine may also be attributed to inhibition of nervous structures. This possibility is supported by Johnson's (1963) finding that the resting output of Ach in the guifea-pig intestine is reduced by as much as 85% by procedures which are likely to depress nervous activity, including incubation with cocaine (5 Jug/ml.), procaine (10 ug/ml.), hemicholinium, lowered calcium, raised magnesium, and cooling to 250 C. In the present study we have sought further information of the site of action of morphine in the resting intestine by examining its inhibitory effect under a variety of conditions which modify nerve transmission and/or neurotransmitter release.
5.5 Steamroller: An x86-64 core implemented in 28nm bulk CMOS

The AMD two-core x86-64 CPU module, codenamed “Steamroller”, contains 236 million transistors implemented in 28nm high-κ metal gate (HKMG) bulk CMOS using 12 levels of metal. It is designed to operate from 0.8 to 1.45V. The CPU module occupies 29.47 mm2, which includes two independent integer cores, two instruction decode units and shared instruction fetch, floating-point, and 2MB 16-way L2 cache units (Fig. 5.5.7). Along with the second instruction decode unit, this design includes a larger shared 96KB 3-way instruction cache and a 10KB L2 branch target buffer for improved single-threaded performance and multi-threaded throughput compared to a previous 32nm AMD x86-64 CPU codenamed “Bulldozer” [1].
Low free drug concentration prevents inhibition of F508del CFTR functional expression by the potentiator VX‐770 (ivacaftor)

The most common cystic fibrosis (CF) mutation F508del inhibits the gating and surface expression of CFTR, a plasma membrane anion channel. Optimal pharmacotherapies will probably require both a ‘potentiator’ to increase channel open probability and a ‘corrector’ that improves folding and trafficking of the mutant protein and its stability at the cell surface. Interaction between CF drugs has been reported but remains poorly understood.
[Prevalence and Risk Factors of Major Depression Disorders in Local Teachers Three Months after Lushan Earthquake].

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and risk factors of major depression disorder (MDD) in local teachers at an early stage post Lushan earthquake. METHODS A prospective cohort study was undertaken, with 319 local teachers receiving diagnostic MDD assessment using MINI 14-22 d and 85-95 d after the earthquake, respectively. Possible predictive factors were identified using a self-developed questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the predictors of MDD. RESULTS Fifteen (4. 70%) local teachers were diagnosed with MDD. Those who had an injured direct relative [odds ratio (OR) = 6. 26], with inhabitable house (OR=4. 26), and felt easy to get sad 14-20 d weeks post earthquake (OR= 11. 45) were more likely to suffer from MDD than others. An anxious emotion 14-20 d post earthquake was a protective factor (OR=0. 14) of MDD. CONCLUSION Post earthquake MDD in local teachers deserves concerns, especially for those who have injured relatives, with an inhabitable house, and who feel easy to get sad 14-20 d post earthquake.
The relation between apelin levels, echocardiographic findings and carotid intima media thickness in peritoneal dialysis patients

Abstract Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Apelin expressed in endothelial and other tissues including brain and kidney is an adipocytokine defined recently and is emerging an important mediator of cardiovascular homeostasis. The aim of this study was to test whether apelin levels might be associated with carotid artery atherosclerosis and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in peritoneal dialysis patients. Patients and methods: Fifty peritoneal dialysis patients (25 female, mean age 41.4 ± 11.9 years, mean dialysis vintage 65.0 ± 35.4 months) and 18 healthy individuals (9 female, mean age 41.7 ± 6.8 years) were included in this cross-sectional study. Serum apelin 12 levels, echocardiographic findings and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) were recorded as well as clinical and laboratory data. Results: There were no differences between the patient and the control groups with regard to demographic characteristics. In patient group, LVMI, CIMT, CRP and apelin levels were elevated compared to control group. However there was no association between apelin, LVMI and CIMT. There was a positive correlation between apelin and CRP, which was not statistically significant. When patients were divided into two groups according to the mean serum apelin levels, LVMI, CIMT and CRP were higher in the high apelin group but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: We observed an increased inflammation and CVD risk in peritoneal dialysis patients. However, serum apelin levels seem not to be associated with cardiovascular risk in this group of patients.