Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NuSTAR DISCOVERY OF A CYCLOTRON LINE IN KS 1947+300

We present a spectral analysis of three simultaneous Nuclear Spectroscopy Telescope Array and Swift/XRT observations of the transient Be-neutron star binary KS 1947+300 taken during its outburst in 2013/2014. These broadband observations were supported by Swift/XRT monitoring snapshots every three days, which we use to study the evolution of the spectrum over the outburst. We find strong changes of the power-law photon index, which shows a weak trend of softening with increasing X-ray flux. The neutron star shows very strong pulsations with a period of P ≈ 18.8 s. The 0.8–79 keV broadband spectrum can be described by a power law with an exponential cutoff and a blackbody component at low energies. During the second observation we detect a cyclotron resonant scattering feature at 12.5 keV, which is absent in the phase-averaged spectra of observations 1 and 3. Pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy reveals that the strength of the feature changes strongly with pulse phase and is most prominent during the broad minimum of the pulse profile. At the same phases the line also becomes visible in the first and third observation at the same energy. This discovery implies that KS 1947+300 has a magnetic field strength of B ≈ 1.1 × 1012(1 + z) G, which is at the lower end of known cyclotron line sources.
Growth and differentiation of rat hepatocytes: changes in transcription factors HNF-3, HNF-4, STAT-3, and STAT-5.

The liver enriched transcription factors HNF-3 and HNF-4 are known to play major roles in development and differentiation of hepatocytes. STAT-3 and STAT-5 are signaling peptides activated by a variety of cytokines and growth factors including HGF and EGF. Their role in hepatocyte growth and differentiation is yet to be determined. We examined protein expression and DNA binding activities of these transcription factors in a hepatocyte culture system in which the hepatocytes first de-differentiate and proliferate. Overlaying proliferating hepatocytes with EHS-matrix led to an increase in HNF-4 protein and DNA-binding activity. STAT-5 DNA binding activity was only slightly effected by EHS-matrix. HNF-3 and STAT-3 DNA-binding activities were reduced in the presence of EHS-matrix. This is consistent with the role of HNF-3 as the major initiating transcription factor involved in embryonic liver development and suggests, that STAT-3 might also play a role in growth and differentiation of hepatocytes.
Directed supramolecular assembly of infinite 1-D M(II)-containing chains (M = Cu, Co, Ni) using structurally bifunctional ligands.

The directed assembly of six different M(II) complexes (M = Cu, Co, and Ni) into infinite chains has been achieved by combining anionic chelating ligands (for controlling the coordination geometry) with bifunctional ligands containing a metal-coordinating pyridyl moiety and a self-complementary hydrogen-bonding moiety. Six crystal structures are presented, and in each case, the chelating acac ligand occupies the four equatorial coordination sites leaving room for the bifunctional ligand to coordinate in the axial positions. The supramolecular chemistry, which organizes the coordination complexes into the desired infinite 1-D chains, is driven by a combination of N-H.N and N-H.O hydrogen bonds.
Prevalence of Argulus in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) From D.I. Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Pakistan

One hundred and fifty common carp (Cyprinus carpio) from district D.I. Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were examined for ectoparasites. The Argulus ectoparasites found were A. foliaceus, A. japonicus, and A. coregoni. Out of 150 fish 17 (11.33%) were infested with ecto parasites. The predominant parasite was A. foliaceus (10%) followed by A. japonicus (8.66%). A. coregoni (6.66%) A. foliaceus is the most abundant ectoparasite in overall study.
Cerebral white matter lesions and the risk of dementia.

OBJECTIVE To study the association between white matter lesions (WML) in specific locations and the risk of dementia. DESIGN The Rotterdam Scan Study, a prospective population-based cohort study. We scored periventricular and subcortical WML on magnetic resonance imaging and observed participants until January 2002 for incident dementia. SETTING General population. PARTICIPANTS We included 1077 people aged 60 to 90 years who did not have dementia at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Incident dementia by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM III-R) criteria. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 5.2 years, 45 participants developed dementia. Higher severity of periventricular WML increased the risk of dementia, whereas the association between subcortical WML and dementia was less prominent. The adjusted hazard ratio of dementia for each standard deviation increase in periventricular WML severity was 1.67 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-2.24). This increased risk was independent of other risk factors for dementia and partly independent of other structural brain changes on magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION White matter lesions, especially in the periventricular region, increase the risk of dementia in elderly people.
Online depth estimation and application to underwater image dehazing

Underwater images captured in a turbid medium often suffer from significant degradation of visibility. Conventional dehazing approaches focus on dehazing a single image by using multiple channels for color restoration and rarely consider computational efficiency. This paper proposes an online dehazing method with sparse depth priors using an incremental Gaussian Process (iGP). The main contribution of this paper is developing a practically usable dehazing method for underwater robots using incoming sparse depth priors (range measurements) from any calibrated depth sensors. To deal with incoming depth priors efficiently, we adopt iGP for incremental depth map estimation and dehazing. Because the input vector of the iGP model is easily reconfigured, we can use the same update method for both color and gray images. Our method also estimates color-balanced veiling light to compensate for the color attenuation problem. For the evaluation, we first verify the proposed method on a open RGBD dataset and test it on real underwater color and gray images, comparing the results with those of previous methods.
SOME EFFECTS OF PHOSPHORUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT, THE B VITAMIN CONTENT, AND THE INORGANIC COMPOSITION OF OATS.

The chemical composition of various grasses has been the subject of much research. Most of this work has been directed toward the influence of environment factors on the nutritive content of the plant. While it is common knowledge that temperature and light markedly affect the composition of plants, an equally important aspect is the influence of inorganic ions on the content of plant tissue. The principal ,oonstituents which have' been studied to date include carotene, 'ascorbic acid, and the inorganic ions. Of the work done on the effects of major elements, the main emphasis has been on the study of plant tissue grown in nutrient solutions completely devoid of one element with very little work done on the effect of high and low concentrations of specific,inorganic ions. Recently a number of articles have been published suggesting a relationship between the fertility of soils and human and animal nutrition. Before any positive conclusions are justified as to the mechanism of this relation, a comprehensive study of the effectof varying concentrations of inorganic ions (available to the plant) on the nutritive content of plants will be necessary. The work described in the present paper was designed to study the effect of high and low concentrations of phosphorus on the folic acid, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, and inorganic content of oats.
Quantitative computed tomographic assessment of the effects of 24 months of teriparatide treatment on 3D femoral neck bone distribution, geometry, and bone strength: Results from the EUROFORS study

We studied the changes in bone distribution, geometry, and bone strength based on 3D quantitative computed tomography (QCT) of the femoral neck (FN) in subjects receiving teriparatide (TPTD). Fifty‐two postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis were analyzed. Patients were divided into three subgroups based on their prior treatment with osteoporosis drugs: treatment‐naive (Tx‐naive; n = 8), pretreated (pre‐Tx; n = 12), and pretreated showing an inadequate response to treatment (inad. pre‐Tx; n = 32). QCT scans were performed at baseline and after 6, 12, and 24 months of treatment and were analyzed with Mindways QCT‐PRO BIT software. Minimum and maximum section modulus, buckling ratio (BR), and cross‐sectional area (CSA) were calculated as measurements of bending strength, risk of buckling, and bone apposition, respectively. After 24 months of TPTD treatment, areal and volumetric FN BMD increased significantly by 4.0% and 3.0%, respectively, compared with baseline. Decreases in cortical volumetric BMD occurred in locations not adversely affecting minimum bending strength indicators. Cortical CSA increased by 4.3%, whereas total CSA remained unchanged over the study duration, indicating that endosteal but no periosteal growth was observed. Strength parameters for buckling did not change at 6 and 12 months but improved significantly at 24 months. Measures of bending strength showed a trend toward improvement. Changes tended to be larger in individuals at higher risk of buckling failure. Prior antiresorptive treatment may delay response to TPTD, but based on the small magnitude of the mostly insignificant changes at 6 months, this does not appear to lead to an interim phase of reduced bone strength. In summary, FN QCT provides a tool for detailed longitudinal investigation of bone strength indices in vivo for different loading modes, yields insight into underlying structural changes, and provides relevant mechanostructural information beyond dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Continuous TPTD treatment for 24 months improves FN bone strength parameters. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Randomized trial of tacrolimus + mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine versus cyclosporine + mycophenolate mofetil after cadaveric kidney transplantation: results at three years

Methods. Two hundred twenty-three recipients of first cadaveric kidney allografts were randomized to receive tacrolimus (TAC) + mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), TAC + azathioprine (AZA), or cyclosporine (Neoral; CsA) + MMF. All regimens contained corticosteroids, and antibody induction was used only in patients who experienced delayed graft function (DGF). Patients were followed-up for 3 years. Results. The results at 3 years corroborate and extend the findings of the 2-year results. Patients with DGF treated with TAC+MMF experienced an increase in 3-year allograft survival compared with patients receiving CsA+MMF (84.1% vs. 49.9%, P =0.02). Patients randomized to either treatment arm containing TAC exhibited numerically superior kidney function when compared with CsA. During the 3 years, new-onset insulin dependence occurred in 6, 3, and 11 patients in the TAC+MMF, CsA+MMF, and TAC+AZA treatment arms, respectively. Furthermore, patients randomized to TAC+MMF received significantly lower doses of MMF as compared with those who received CsA+MMF. Conclusion. All three immunosuppressive regimens provided excellent safety and efficacy. However, the best results overall were achieved with TAC+MMF. The combination may provide particular benefit to kidney allograft recipients with DGF. In patients who experienced DGF, graft survival was better at 3 years in those patients receiving TAC in combination with either MMF or AZA as compared with the patients receiving CsA with MMF.
Conformational spread: The propagation of allosteric states in large multiprotein complexes

The phenomenon of allostery is conventionally described for small symmetrical oligomeric proteins such as hemoglobin. Here we review experimental evidence from a variety of systems — including bacterial chemotaxis receptors, muscle ryanodine receptors, and actin filaments — showing that conformational changes can also propagate through extended lattices of protein molecules. We explore the statistical mechanics of idealized linear and two-dimensional arrays of allosteric proteins and show that, as in the analogous Ising models, arrays of closely packed units can show large-scale integrated behavior. We also discuss proteins that undergo conformational changes driven by the hydrolysis of ATP and give examples in which these changes propagate through linear chains of molecules. We suggest that conformational spread could provide the basis of a solid-state «circuitry» in a living cell, able to integrate biochemical and biophysical events over hundreds of protein molecules.
Blastocyst cryopreservation using solid surface vitrification: A preliminary study

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a blastocyst cryopreservation program using solid surface vitrification. SETTING: This study took place in a university teaching hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women undergoing frozen embryo transfer cycles over a 4-year period between 2006 and 2010 were studied. The cryopreservation policy followed was a vitrification protocol performed at the blastocyst stage, using a solid surface (nonimmersion) method. The post-thaw survival rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate, and neonatal outcome were recorded. RESULTS: Eighty-one women underwent 86 frozen embryo transfer cycles. Of the 240 blastocysts warmed, 204 survived giving a cryosurvival rate of 85% (204/240). The clinical pregnancy, implantation, miscarriage, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates per transfer were 47%, 29%, 12%, 16%, and 23% respectively. Of the 20 live births, there were 16 singletons and 4 twins. Eleven boys and 13 girls were delivered with no major or minor abnormality detected. CONCLUSION(S): The blastocyst vitrification protocol using the solid surface method is effective with results comparable to fresh blastocyst transfers. While retaining the rapid cooling effect, the nonimmersion technique eliminates the risk of contamination and disease transmission. Larger studies with long-term follow-up data would further confirm the efficacy and safety of this method of vitrification.
Does capitalism need the state system?

Contemporary Marxist students of international relations, like their mainstream counterparts, disagree over whether geopolitics has a future. Many believe that it has none, either because globalized capitalism has overcome the nation-state or because the ‘informal empire’ of the United States has overridden inter-state conflict. This article supports those who argue that significant economic and political conflicts persist among the main capitalist states. It does so by exploring the question of whether, in Marxist theory, the capitalist economic system and the international system of states are necessarily or contingently related. Marx's method in Capital offers, it is argued, a way of non-reductively incorporating the state system within the capitalist mode of production. This argument provides the basis for a partial reconciliation of Marxism and realism. More importantly, it offers a theoretical framework in which to explore the scope for inter-state conflict in the 21st century.
New pharmacological avenues for the treatment of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease: targeting glutamate and adenosine receptors

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) therapy is still centered on the use of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA), which is hampered by numerous side effects, including abnormal involuntary movements known as l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias (LIDs). LIDs are the result of pre- and postsynaptic changes at the corticostriatal level, induced by chronic and pulsatile stimulation of striatal dopaminergic receptors. These changes impact on synaptic plasticity and involve also selected, nondopaminergic receptors expressed by striatal projection neurons. Areas covered: Among nondopaminergic receptors, glutamate receptors – NMDA and mGluR5 subtypes in particular – and adenosine A2A receptors are those most likely involved in LIDs. The aim of the present review is to summarize results of studies undertaken with specific antagonists of these receptors, first conducted in animal models of LIDs, which in selected cases have been translated into clinical trials. Expert opinion: Selected antagonists of glutamate and adenosine receptors have been proposed as anti-dyskinetic agents. Promising results have been obtained in preclinical investigations and in initial clinical trials, but long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy studies in patients are still required. The current development of novel antagonists, including tools able to act on receptor mosaics, may provide innovative tools for LIDs management in the next future.
Impaired cell shortening and relengthening with increased pacing frequency are intrinsic to the senescent mouse cardiomyocyte.

Increased heart rate enhances cardiac contractility and accelerates relaxation. Both the force- and relaxation-frequency relationships are critical to myocardial function, especially during stress, and have been shown to be impaired in senescent myocardium. While senescent myocardium is characterized by decreased sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase activity, it is unclear if altered calcium regulation is directly responsible for the attenuated contractility and relaxation observed with increasing pacing frequency in aged myocardium. We examined this issue using freshly dissociated left ventricular myocytes, isolated from young adult and senescent mouse hearts. Myocytes were paced from 2 to 9 Hz at 37 degrees C, and cell shortening and [Ca(2+)](i)were simultaneously measured using video edge-detection and fura-2 fluorescence, respectively. In adult myocytes, increasing the pacing rate resulted in a progressive increase in percent cell shortening (CS) (P<0.01). This positive CS-frequency relationship was paralleled by an increase in [Ca(2+)](i)transient amplitude (P<0.05). In contrast, the CS-frequency relationship was blunted in senescent myocytes with no increase in percent CS or [Ca(2+)](i)transient amplitude with increasing pacing rate. With increased pacing, the decreases in time constants (tau) of cell relengthening and Ca(2+)transient decay were much steeper in adult compared to senescent myocytes (P<0.05). This study demonstrates that adult mouse myocytes exhibit augmented intracellular Ca(2+)transient amplitude and enhanced intracellular Ca(2+)removal with increasing pacing frequency, resulting in increased cell shortening and enhanced relengthening with frequency. In contrast, senescent mouse myocytes exhibit impaired calcium handling with increasing pacing frequency, which correlated with impairment of both cell shortening and relengthening.
Subacute oral toxicity of tri‐n‐butyl phosphate in the sprague–dawley rat

Tri‐n‐butyl phosphate was administered by gavage to male and female Sprague‐Dawley rats for 14 consecutive days (low dose: 0.14 ml kg−1; high dose: 0.42 ml kg−1). Effects of this chemical were investigated at the end of the feeding period. Histopathological examination of the testes (high‐dose group) showed the presence of microscopic degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules. No other abnormal microscopic changes were observed.
Long‐term effects of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐I treatment on serum IGFs and IGF binding proteins in adolescent patients with growth hormone receptor deficiency

OBJECTIVE The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of relatively high dose IGF‐I therapy given for several months, on serum levels of IGF‐I, IGF‐II and IGFBP‐3, and on IGF‐I pharmacokinetics In patients with growth hormone insensitivity due to GH receptor dysfunction.
The Pore-forming Toxin Proaerolysin Is Activated by Furin*

Aerolysin is secreted as an inactive dimeric precursor by the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila. Proteolytic cleavage within a mobile loop near the C terminus of the protoxin is required for oligomerization and channel formation. This loop contains the sequence KVRRAR432, which should be recognized by mammalian proprotein convertases such as furin, PACE4, and PC5/6A. Here we show that these three proteases cleave proaerolysin after Arg-432 in vitro, yielding active toxin. We also investigated the potential role of these enzymes in the in vivo activation of the protoxin. We found that Chinese hamster ovary cells were able to convert the protoxin to aerolysin in the absence of exogenous proteases and that activation did not require internalization of the toxin. The furin inhibitor α1-antitrypsin Portland reduced the rate of proaerolysin activation in vivo, and proaerolysin processing was even further reduced in furin-deficient FD11 Chinese hamster ovary cells. The cells were also less sensitive to proaerolysin than wild type cells; however, transient transfection of FD11 cells with the cDNA encoding furin conferred normal sensitivity to the protoxin. Together these findings argue that furin catalyzes the cell-surface activation of proaerolysin in vivo.
THE EVOLUTION OF RESISTANCE TO HERBIVORY IN IPOMOEA PURPUREA. II. NATURAL SELECTION BY INSECTS AND COSTS OF RESISTANCE

An important component of the process of coevolution between plants and their insect herbivores is the imposition of selection on plants by insects. Although such selection has been inferred from indirect evidence, little direct evidence for it exists. One goal of this study was to seek direct evidence by determining, for a single plant‐herbivore system, whether insect herbivores impose selection on their host plants. A second goal was to determine whether costs are associated with genotypes that confer resistance to herbivores, as has been commonly postulated.
Wake oscillator equations in modelling vortex-induced vibrations at low mass ratios

The current research explores the capabilities of Rayleigh and Van der Pol equations from the standpoint of accuracy of vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) modelling for low mass ratio cases. The two degree-of-freedom rigid structure model suggested by Postnikov et al. [1] is used as the base case, and the fluid equations are modified to create 7 options as alternatives to this model. The considered options constitute variation in damping terms, including introduction of additional damping coefficients (as different Van der Pol or Rayleigh parameters). Then the calibration is performed to identify the best set of coefficients to provide accurate match with the experimental data. The main aim is to predict correctly the development of the super-upper branch [2]. Experimental results by Stappenbelt and Lalji [3] for mass ratio 2.36 are utilised for the model calibration. Then the obtained models are validated using data from the series of experiments by Stappenbelt and Lalji [3] and published experimental data from other sources [2, 4]. The obtained results demonstrate the advantages of changes in damping terms. Overall, it is concluded that Rayleigh oscillator can be recommended to approximate the lift coefficient for low mass ratios.
A family of optimal iterative methods with fifth and tenth order convergence for solving nonlinear equations

In this paper, we propose a two-step method with fifth-order convergence and a family of optimal three-step method with tenth-order convergence for finding the simple roots of nonlinear equations. The optimal efficiency indices are all found to be $5^{\frac{1}{3}}\approx1.71$ and $10^{\frac{1}{4}}\approx1.78. $ Some numerical examples illustrate that the algorithms are more efficient and performs better than other methods.