Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COSMO-SkyMed multi-temporal SAR interferometry over liguria region for environmental monitoring and risk management

Thanks to the technological maturity as well as to the wide availability of SAR data, Multi-temporal SAR Interferometry (MTInSAR) can be used to support systems devoted to environmental monitoring and risk management. In particular, high resolution X-band MTInSAR applications are also suitable for monitoring single man-made structures (buildings, bridges, railways and highways). The paper presents examples concerning the application of MTInSAR techniques and COSMO-SkyMed constellation for instability monitoring of infrastructures and, in particular, harbor docks and railways.
Effects of breathing frequency on baroreflex effectiveness index and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity derived by sequence analysis

Aims: High-frequency paced breathing is required to avoid overestimation when measuring spectral baroreflex sensitivity (BRSLF) to predict outcomes in cardiovascular patients. We examined whether respiration should also be controlled when measuring the baroreflex effectiveness index (BEI) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRSseq), which are derived by sequence analysis. Methods: We studied 17 healthy young adults who breathed spontaneously and controlled their breathing to rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 Hz in the supine position. We found respiratory influences on BEI and BRSseq depended on the lag used to pair the systolic arterial pressure and R–R interval in a sequence. Therefore, the two baroreflex measures were obtained by selecting the lag with a larger number of sequences for each section. Results: BEI decreased progressively as the breathing frequency increased. BRSseq remained unchanged at rates of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 Hz, but was reduced during 0.4 Hz breathing. In contrast, BRSLF was constant during 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 Hz breathing, but was greater at 0.1 Hz. Rates of spontaneous breathing range from 0.1 to 0.32 Hz with a mean value of 0.19 Hz. Baroreflex measures obtained for spontaneous breathing were found to be between the values for 0.1 and 0.3 Hz paced breathing. Conclusion: BEI and BRSseq do not remain constant at various breathing frequencies. Nonetheless, considering the pattern of change and the frequency range of spontaneous respiration, the authors suggest that high-frequency paced breathing is not necessary when measuring the BEI and BRSseq under the conditions used in this study.
Psychosocial factors and caregivers’ distress: Effects of familism and dysfunctional thoughts

Introduction: Caring for a relative with dementia is linked with negative psychological and physical consequences for the caregiver. The number of studies analyzing the influence of specific values and thoughts on caregivers’ distress remains sparse. Objectives and method: The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of both familism dimensions and dysfunctional thoughts specific to caregiving on depression in a sample of 334 dementia caregivers. Results: The results of this study suggest that familism can have positive influences on caregiving distress when the family is perceived as a source of support. However, the dimensions of familism pertaining to a strong adherence to values regarding both feelings of obligation to provide support as well as behaviors and attitudes that should be followed by different members of a family were linked with caregivers’ distress through their influence on dysfunctional thoughts. Conclusion: This study provides support for the importance of conceptualizing familism as a multidimensional construct with both positive and negative effects on caregivers’ emotional distress and suggests that familism affects emotional distress through dysfunctional thoughts rather than through burden appraisals. Clinical implications include attending to both the positive and negative effects of familism values and the potential value of targeting dysfunctional thoughts in cognitive-behavioral interventions with caregivers.
Theoretical investigation of biomass productivities achievable in solar rectangular photobioreactors for the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis

Modeling was done to simulate whole‐year running of solar rectangular photobioreactors (PBRs). Introducing the concept of ideal reactor, the maximal biomass productivity that could be achieved on Earth on nitrate as N‐source was calculated. Two additional factors were also analyzed with respect to dynamic calculations over the whole year: the effect of PBR location and the effects of given operating conditions on the resulting decrease in productivity compared with the ideal one. Simulations were conducted for the cyanobacterium Arthospira platensis, giving an ideal productivity (upper limit) in the range 55–60 tX ha−1 year−1 for a sun tracking system (and around 35–40 tX ha−1 year−1 for a fixed horizontal PBR). For an implantation in France (Nantes, west coast), the modification in irradiation conditions resulted in a decrease in biomass productivity of 40%. Various parameters were investigated, with special emphasis on the influence of the incident angle of solar illumination on resulting productivities, affecting both light capture and light transfer inside the bulk culture. It was also found that with appropriate optimization of the residence time as permitted by the model, productivities close to maximal could be achieved for a given location. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2012
Analysis of genetic localization of the type I trimethoprim resistance gene from Escherichia coli isolated in Finland

Among a collection of clinical Escherichia coli isolates, the type I dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) mediating trimethoprim resistance was generally observed to be chromosomally determined. Only a minority of isolates carried the type I DHFR gene simultaneously on a plasmid. The majority of E. coli isolates studied also hybridized with a probe specific for the transposition gene tnsC of transposon Tn7; and in most of these isolates, Tn7 was found to be inserted into a preferred site in the E. coli chromosome. A minority of isolates that harbored the type I DHFR gene in the chromosome lacked a complete Tn7. Some of these harbored the type I DHFR gene inserted in a structure similar to that containing the gene for streptomycin resistance in Tn21. In the other isolates that were negative for a complete Tn7, the sequences upstream of the type I DHFR gene were demonstrated to be homologous to those flanking the type I DHFR gene in Tn7. This could indicate that the antibiotic resistance region of Tn7 may occur independently of this transposon. In two isolates, no sequences resembling Tn7 or Tn21 were found adjacent to the type I DHFR gene.
Calcein assay: a high-throughput method to assess P-gp inhibition

Transporter mediated drug–drug interactions (tDDI) mediated by ABCB1 have been shown to be clinically relevant. Hence, the assessment of the ABCB1 tDDI potential early in the drug development process has gained interest. We have evaluated the Calcein assay as a means of assessing the ABCB1 tDDI that is amenable to high throughout and compared it with the monolayer efflux assay. We found the Calcein assay, when performed in K562MDR cells using the protocol originally published more sensitive than digoxin transport inhibition in MDCKII-MDR1 cells. Application of the Calcein assay to cell lines containing different amounts of ABCB1, yielded IC50 values that varied 10–100-fold. The differences observed for IC50 values for the same compounds were in the following rank order: IC50, MDCKII-MDR1 >IC50, K562MDR>IC50, hCMEC/D3. Higher IC50 values were obtained in cells with higher ABCB1 expression. The Calcein assay is a high-throughput alternative to digoxin transport inhibition as it appears to have a comparable selectivity but higher sensitivity than previously published digoxin transport inhibition in MDCKII-MDR1 cells. In addition, it can be performed in a barrier-specific manner highlighting the dependence of ABCB1 IC50 values on different ABCB1 expression levels.
Site fidelity of the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) studied by acoustic telemetry

Des reserves marines ont ete etablies dans nombreuses regions de Mediterranee afin de proteger les especes menacees et vulnerables, comme le merou noir. Toutefois, la valeur de ces reserves pour ces especes est souvent incertaine par manque de connaissance sur leur ecologie et leurs mouvements. Ainsi, nous avons entrepris une etude pour suivre les mouvements des merous noirs durant un an autour de l'ile d'Ustica (Sicile, Italie), ou une reserve marine a ete etablie. Deux groupes de merous noirs ont ete captures dans des sites differents autour de l'ile et leurs positions geographiques ont ete enregistrees. Le premier groupe se composait de 7 specimens (poids : 2-5,4 kg) qui ont ete relâches en novembre 1997. Le second groupe se composait de 6 specimens (poids : 5,5-17 kg) qui ont ete relâches en octobre 1998. Tous les poissons ont ete marques avec des transmetteurs acoustiques par une intervention chirurgicale, avant d'etre relâches dans l'aire centrale de la reserve marine. Les poissons ont ete suivis mensuellement (fevrier 1998 - janvier 1999) et journellement pendant de breves periodes en juillet-septembre 1998, en enregistrant leur profondeur et leur position. La survie et la retention des transmetteurs, estimees indirectement par le « tracking » manuel, ont ete de 100% pour les deux groupes. Tous les poissons sont revenus a leur site de capture (467-4 426 m) et ont montre une forte fidelite au site, qui a persiste pendant toute la periode etudiee. Les deplacements mensuels des merous noirs avaient une amplitude de 20-500 m, avec des deplacements individuels moyens variables de 103 m (ecart type: 72 m) a 193 m (ecart type: 92 m) entre « tracking » consecutifs pendant la periode etudiee. Ces deplacements ont ete seulement un peu plus importants que ceux observes sur une base journaliere (8-197 m). Les merous noirs ont ete trouves a des profondeurs de 10 a 40 m, avec les poissons les plus grands dans les eaux plus profondes. Nos resultats indiquent que les reserves marines peuvent fonctionner pour proteger les merous noirs grâce a leur fidelite au site, mais ils indiquent egalement que deplacer les poissons des aires environnantes vers les reserves marines n'est probablement pas une bonne strategie de gestion.
Beyond the ancestral code: Towards a model for sociolinguistic language documentation

Language documentation is prototypically characterized as the collection of records of a language which can form the basis of traditional descriptive products such as lexicons, grammars, and texts (see, e.g., Himmelmann 1998:168–171). This follows from an emphasis by linguists and speaker communities on the so-called “ancestral code”—that is, the variety that is taken to be most representative of a given community’s traditions (Woodbury 2011). By comparison, relatively little attention has been paid to understanding what kinds of documentary products are required to adequately capture sociolinguistic aspects of language use. This paper reports on the results of a workshop exploring theoretical and applied aspects of sociolinguistic language documentation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). SSA is special in being characterized by high rates of multilingualism and numerous vital “small” languages, where sociolinguistically informed approaches are likely to yield useful results for academic and speaker communities. More than sixty workshop participants, from Africa and elsewhere, organized into five working groups covering the following topics: conversational data and sociolinguistic documentation, documentation of culturally significant events, how languages acquire “value” in multilingual environments, social mechanisms fostering multilingualism, and documenting the relationship between language and culture. Among the conclusions of the working group discussions were: (i) the value of natural conversation as a way of documenting a language’s sociolinguistic setting and culture, (ii) the importance of documenting actual language use without distorting the data to make it better reflect notions of language purity (and other ideological positions), (iii) recommendations for expanded metadata collection about speakers and the recording context so that sociolinguistic configurations affecting data collection can be more adequately recorded, (iv) the necessity of establishing strong interdisciplinary partnerships when the goals of documentation go beyond structural aspects of grammar and basic lexical data, (v) that documentation including information on sociolinguistic context can usefully inform language planning decisions in ways that traditional documentation cannot, and (vi) the need for more flexible training opportunities than are presently available. A more general conclusion of the workshop was the importance of seeing more reflexive scholarship on the goals and practices of language documentation. This is crucial if we want to ensure that commonly employed idealizations such as “speaker community” do not inappropriately lead to documentary projects focusing on selections of speech events that are not an accurate reflection of the actual practices of those individuals whose speech is being documented.
Induction of Flowering in Long Day Plants by Applied Indoleacetic Acid.

fijr die Blutenbildung. Beitr. Biol. Pflanz. 29: 339-352. 1953. 11. LANG, ANTON Physiology of flowering. Ann. Rev. Plant Phvsiol. 3: 265-306. 1952. 12. LIVERMAN, JAMES L. The physiology and biochemistry of flowering. Doctoral thesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 1952. 13. LIVERMA.N-. JAMES L. The physio! ogy of flowering. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 6: 177-210. 1955. 14. LIVERMAN, J. L. and BONNER, J. Biochemistry of the photoperiodic response: The high-intensitylight reaction. Bot. Gaz. 115: 121-128. 1953. 15. LIVERMAN. J. L. and BONNER, J. The interaction of auxin andl light in the growth responses of plants. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., U. S. 39: 905-916. 1953. 16. LOCKHART. JAMES A. and HAMNER, KARL Partial reactions in the formation of the floral stimulus in Xanthium. Plant Physiol. 29: 509-513. 1954. 17. NAYLOR, FRANCIS LLOYD Effect of length of induction period on floral development of Xanthium pensylrcanicum. Bot. Gaz. 103: 146-154. 1941. 18. NAYLOR. AUBREY WV. Physiology of reproduction in plants. Survey Biol. Progress 2: 259-300. 1952. 19. PARKER, M. W. , HENDRICKS, S. B. , BORTHWICK, H. A. and SCULLY, N. J. Action spectrum for the photoperiodic control of floral initiation in short-day plants. Bot. Gaz. 108: 1-25. 1946. 20. SALISBURY, FRANK B. Kinetic studies on the physiology of flowering. Doctoral thesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 1955. 21. SALISBURY, FRANK B. The dual role of auxin in flowering. Plant Physiol. 30: 327-334. 1955. 22. SALISBURY, F. B. and BONNER, J. Interaction of light and auxin in flowering. Beitr. Biol. Pflanz. 31: 419-430. 1955. 23. SKOK, JOHN and SCULLY, NORBERT J. Characteristics and movement of the flowering stimulus from the induced leaf of Xanthium. Bot. Gaz. 116: 142147. 1954. 24. WAREING, P. F. Experiments on the 'light-break' effect in short day plants. Physiol. Plantarum 7: 157-172. 1954. 25. WXITHROW, R. B. and WITHROW, ALICE P. Effect of intermittent irradiation on photoperiodic responses. Plant Physiol. 19: 6-18. 1944.
Predictive control of an indirect matrix converter operating at fixed switching frequency and unbalanced AC-supply

This paper proposes a predictive control technique for an indirect matrix converter. The proposed control strategy gives sinusoidal waveforms at both the input and output of the converter without any weighting factor in the cost function and, at the same time, giving operation at a fixed switching frequency. Simulation results with an unbalanced ac-supply validate the proposed method under both steady state and transient conditions.
A Statewide Assessment of Surgical Site Infection Following Colectomy: The Role of Oral Antibiotics

Objective:To determine the utility of adding oral nonabsorbable antibiotics to the bowel prep prior to elective colon surgery. Summary Background Data:Bowel preparation prior to colectomy remains controversial. We hypothesized that mechanical bowel preparation with oral antibiotics (compared with without) was associated with lower rates of surgical site infection (SSI). Methods:Twenty-four Michigan hospitals participated in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative–Colectomy Best Practices Project. Standard perioperative data, bowel preparation process measures, and Clostridium difficile colitis outcomes were prospectively collected. Among patients receiving mechanical bowel preparation, a logistic regression model generated a propensity score that allowed us to match cases differing only in whether or not they had received oral antibiotics. Results:Overall, 2011 elective colectomies were performed over 16 months. Mechanical bowel prep without oral antibiotics was administered to 49.6% of patients, whereas 36.4% received a mechanical prep and oral antibiotics. Propensity analysis created 370 paired cases (differing only in receiving oral antibiotics). Patients receiving oral antibiotics were less likely to have any SSI (4.5% vs. 11.8%, P = 0.0001), to have an organ space infection (1.8% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.044) and to have a superficial SSI (2.6% vs. 7.6%, P = 0.001). Patients receiving bowel prep with oral antibiotics were also less likely to have a prolonged ileus (3.9% vs. 8.6%, P = 0.011) and had similar rates of C. difficile colitis (1.3% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.58). Conclusions:Most patients in Michigan receive mechanical bowel preparation prior to elective colectomy. Oral antibiotics may reduce the incidence of SSI.
Evidence of Endogenous Mu Opioid Receptor Regulation by Epigenetic Control of the Promoters

ABSTRACT The pharmacological effect of morphine as a painkiller is mediated mainly via the mu opioid receptor (MOR) and is dependent on the number of MORs in the cell surface membrane. While several studies have reported that the MOR gene is regulated by various cis- and trans-acting factors, many questions remain unanswered regarding in vivo regulation. The present study shows that epigenetic silencing and activation of the MOR gene are achieved through coordinated regulation at both the histone and DNA levels. In P19 mouse embryonal carcinoma cells, expression of the MOR was greatly increased after neuronal differentiation. MOR expression could also be induced by a demethylating agent (5′-aza-2′-deoxycytidine) or histone deacetylase inhibitors in the P19 cells, suggesting involvement of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation for MOR gene silencing. Analysis of CpG DNA methylation revealed that the proximal promoter region was unmethylated in differentiated cells compared to its hypermethylation in undifferentiated cells. In contrast, the methylation of other regions was not changed in either cell type. Similar methylation patterns were observed in the mouse brain. In vitro methylation of the MOR promoters suppressed promoter activity in the reporter assay. Upon differentiation, the in vivo interaction of MeCP2 was reduced in the MOR promoter region, coincident with histone modifications that are relevant to active transcription. When MeCP2 was disrupted using MeCP2 small interfering RNA, the endogenous MOR gene was increased. These data suggest that DNA methylation is closely linked to the MeCP2-mediated chromatin structure of the MOR gene. Here, we propose that an epigenetic mechanism consisting of DNA methylation and chromatin modification underlies the cell stage-specific mechanism of MOR gene expression.
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Dissociation and Profiles of Mood, and Its Association with Biochemical Changes.

INTRODUCTION Sleep deprivation is a method, which has being used in order to comprehend the functions of sleep both in healthy individuals and for the patients of depression with in treatment, for a long time. The objective of our present study is to examine the relation between hormonal values, which are known for being related to the effects of these said changes determined in the mood, dissociation and thought suppression in healthy individuals after one night of sleep deprivation implementation. METHODS One night sleep deprivation was performed on a total of thirty-two healthy volunteers (16 males and 16 females) who were included in the study. Blood samples were taken from the individuals before and after sleep deprivation implementation in order to determine cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) and Thyroid Functions' Levels tests. In order to evaluate the effects of the sleep deprivation on moods, "White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI)" has been conducted, with an aim of evaluating thought suppression, "Profile of Mood States (POMS)", "Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)" with a purpose of realizing any dissociation tendency. RESULTS On the individuals who have been implemented for sleep deprivation, a decrease on depression and vigor-activity sub-scales values was detected, and an increase was determined on fatigue sub-scales values of "POMS". While the values of DES were found to have been statistically increased after sleep deprivation, also a significant decrease was determined on WBSI values. Even if there hasn't been any significant statistical change determined on cortisol levels after sleep deprivation, yet there had been some significant changes detected on Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), fT3, fT4, and DHEA-S levels. Decrease in "POMS" depression sub-scale values and increase on fatigue sub-scale values were determined on the individuals whose sT4 levels were found to be increased significantly in statistic manner after the sleep deprivation. CONCLUSION According to the results of our study, sleep deprivation for one night was determined to cause decrease on depressive mood, increase on dissociative symptoms and to lower the tendency of suppressing the unwanted thoughts, consciously. The fact of being obtained lower depression values, on the individuals with the increased DHEA-S levels after the sleep deprivation meets with the information claiming that the high DHEA-S levels may be deemed as protectors against the negative effects of the stress.
Leptomeninges: a novel stem cell niche with neurogenic potential.

The meninges are composed of three membranous layers referred to as the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater. The arachnoid mater and pia mater are connected together and form the leptomeninges. The meninges not only protect the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain and spinal cord, directly with their thick outer layers but also indirectly by cushioning through the cerebrospinal fluid filled in the subarachnoid space. In addition, a previous study demonstrated that removing the meninges causes impaired cortical development (1). This suggests that the meninges have functions other than protection. In support of this idea, it is reported that the meninges modulate cortical neuron generation during early brain development by producing trophic factors such as retinoic acid (2). Thus, it is likely that they play pivotal roles in cortical neurogenesis by regulating embryonic neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) (3).