Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Examination of MHz Rate PIV in a Heated Supersonic Jet

An experimental investigation of a high temperature, supersonic jet conducted at the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Physical Acoustics is described. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used in the acquisition of flow field velocity measurements eight inches downstream of a two inch axissymmetric supersonic nozzle operating at a Mach number of 1.56 and total temperature of 1350◦F . A MHz rate gate-intensified CCD framing camera was used in conjunction with a pulse-burst laser system in the acquisition 308 image sequences. Each sequence consisted of 16 images with a temporal spacing of 1μs between each frame. A background on high-speed measurement techniques and jet aeroacoustics as well as the experimental setup, operational conditions, and experimental results involving the velocity field are described in detail. A number of experimental hurdles had to be overcome in order to increase the data quality. These include the construction of a sound insulating box to prevent image blurring caused by the high acoustic levels within the test environment, the alignment of the Cordin’s eight internal cameras to ensure one optical path, and the reduction of noise inherent to the Cordin’s images through various filtering methods. The velocity fields were obtained through the use of standard PIV analysis as well as High Dynamic Range (HDR) PIV using dynamic evaluation via ordinary least squares (DEVOLS) algorithm. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) was used to reconstruct the velocity fields in order to improve their quality. This method was successful in eliminating much of the noise remaining in the velocity fields. Time resolved velocity sequences are displayed to show the characteristics of the turbulent shear layer in the supersonic jet. The average acceleration fields are shown are poor in quality due to various experimental obstacles.
Heat‐shock protein 70 modulates toxic extracellular α‐synuclein oligomers and rescues trans‐synaptic toxicity

The paradoxical appearance of aggregated α‐synuclein (αsyn) in naive transplanted embryonic stem cells in Parkinson's disease (PD) brains has recently been reported, highlighting the possibility of neuron to neuron transmission of αsyn in PD. Here, we demonstrate in a cellular model the presence of αsyn oligomers in the extracellular space, their uptake by neurons, retrograde axonal transport to cell soma, and detrimental effects on neighboring cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that Hsp70 chaperones αsyn in the extracellular space and reduces extracellular αsyn oligomer formation and related toxicity. These novel findings provide evidence that extracellular αsyn oligomers may represent a crucial player in the propagation of pathology in PD, with their modulation by Hsp70 representing a potential new target for therapeutic interventions. —Danzer, K. M. , Ruf, W. P., Putcha, P., Joyner, D. , Hashimoto, T. , Glabe, C. , Hyman, B. T. , McLean, P. J. Heat‐shock protein 70 modulates toxic extracellular α‐synuclein oligomers and rescues trans‐synaptic toxicity. FASEBJ. 25, 326–336 (2011). www.fasebj. org
Coping behaviour checklist for Chinese children: development and psychometric testing.

AIM This paper is a report of development and psychometric testing of the coping behaviour checklist for Chinese children. BACKGROUND An understanding of the coping behaviour of children is an essential prerequisite for the design of an appropriate psychological intervention to enhance children's ability to cope with stressful medical procedures and hospitalization. Review of literature reveals that there is lack of child-sensitive measurement tools in the Chinese culture for assessing coping behaviours of children with good psychometric properties. METHODS An instrument development and validation study was conducted. Phase 1 was designed to develop a checklist of coping behaviour for Chinese children, while in phase 2 the psychometric properties of the new scale were tested. A total of 168 (phase 1) and 236 (phase 2) children between the ages of 7 and 12 years, were invited to participate in this study in 2008 and 2009, respectively; 228 completed both phases of data collection. RESULTS On the basis of the results of qualitative interview data, the coping behaviour checklist for Chinese children was developed. The newly developed scale had adequate internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability, high content validity and appropriate construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis further added evidence of the construct validity of the scale. CONCLUSION The instrument can be used to identify the coping behaviour of Hong Kong Chinese children aged between 7 and 12 years. Knowing the coping behaviour of children in advance can help nurses to shape and design appropriate psychological interventions that can help children better cope with stressful medical procedures and hospitalization.
No Association of Plasma Levels of Adiponectin and c-peptide with Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort

Background: Obesity is associated with a higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer and alters circulating levels of insulin and adiponectin, two hormones that influence biologic processes implicated in carcinogenesis. Results of some studies showed associations of circulating levels of adiponectin, insulin, and c-peptide (a marker of insulin secretion) with aggressive prostate cancer, but the size of these studies was limited. Methods: A nested case–control study of 272 aggressive prostate cancer cases [Gleason score ≥7 (4+3) or T3-T4] and 272 age- and race-matched controls from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort was conducted to determine the associations of prediagnostic plasma levels of c-peptide and adiponectin with risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Results: Neither circulating adiponectin nor c-peptide was associated with risk of aggressive prostate cancer. In analyses of the highest-risk aggressive prostate cancer (Gleason score ≥8 or T3-T4), the highest quartile of c-peptide, compared with the lowest, was associated with an OR of 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72–2.78]. Conclusions: Our findings provide no support for the hypothesis that adiponectin is associated with risk of aggressive prostate cancer but a possible association of high levels of c-peptide with particularly high-risk prostate cancer cannot be ruled out. Impact: These results indicate that changes in circulating levels of adiponectin and c-peptide do not play an important role in risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(5); 890–2. ©2014 AACR.
Regulatory T Cell (Treg) Subsets Return in Patients with Refractory Lupus following Stem Cell Transplantation, and TGF-β-Producing CD8+ Treg Cells Are Associated with Immunological Remission of Lupus1

Compared with conventional drug therapy, autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can induce very-long-term remission in refractory lupus patients. Herein, we show that in posttransplant patients, both CD4+CD25highFoxP3+ and an unusual CD8+FoxP3+ Treg subset return to levels seen in normal subjects; accompanied by almost complete inhibition of pathogenic T cell response to critical peptide autoepitopes from histones in nucleosomes, the major lupus autoantigen from apoptotic cells. In addition to a stably sustained elevation of FoxP3, posttransplant CD8 T cells also maintained markedly higher expression levels of latency-associated peptide (LAP), CD103, PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4, as compared with pretransplant CD8 T cells that were identically treated by a one-time activation and rest in short-term culture. The posttransplant CD8 regulatory T cells (Treg) have autoantigen-specific and nonspecific suppressive activity, which is contact independent and predominantly TGF-β dependent. By contrast, the pretransplant CD8 T cells have helper activity, which is cell contact dependent. Although CD4+CD25high Treg cells return during clinical remission of conventional drug-treated lupus, the posttransplant patient’s CD8 Treg cells are considerably more potent, and they are absent in drug-treated patients in whom CD4 T cell autoreactivity to nucleosomal epitopes persists even during clinical remission. Therefore, unlike conventional drug therapy, hemopoietic stem cell transplantation generates a newly differentiated population of LAPhighCD103high CD8TGF-β Treg cells, which repairs the Treg deficiency in human lupus to maintain patients in true immunological remission.
Evolutionary Relationship of Wheat Protein Disulphide Isomerase (PDI) Gene Promoter Sequence Based on Phylogenetic Analysis

Protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) is an oxidoreductase enzyme abundant in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In plants, PDIs have been shown to assist the folding and deposition of seed storage proteins during the biogenesis of protein bodies in the endosperm. Cloning and characterization of the complete set of genes encoding PDI and PDI like proteins in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring) and the comparison of their sequence, structure and expression with homologous genes from other plant species were reported in our previous publications. Promoter sequences of three homoeologous genes encoding typical PDI, located on chromosome group 4 of bread wheat, and PDI promoter sequence analysis of Triticum urartu, Aegilops speltoides and Aegilops tauschii had also been reported previously. In this study, we report the isolation and sequencing of a ~700 bp region, comprising ~600 bp of the putative promoter region and 88 bp of the first exon of the typical PDI gene, in five accessions each from Triticum urartu (AA), Aegilops speltoides (BB) and Aegilops tauschii (DD). Sequence analysis indicated large variation among sequences belonging to the different genomes, while close similarity was found within each species and with the corresponding homoeologous PDI sequences of Triticum aestivum cv. CS (AABBDD) resulting in an overall high conservation of the sequence conferring endosperm-specific expression.
Pseudomonas ETIOLOGY , COURSE AND REDUCTION OF INCIDENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MASTITIS IN THE HERD OF DAIRY COWS

The work was aimed at the observation of the incidence and course of environmental mastitis in the breeding with a mean number of 177 dairy cows free housed and milked in the milking parlour after introduction of anti-mastitis measures. During 6 months of application of preventive inhibitory methods the incidence of bacteriological positive dairy cows was reduced from 72.99 % to 6.74 %, and occurrence of dairy cows with clinically apparent form of mastitis decreased from 23.00 % to 0.56 %. The main etiological agents of intra-mammary infections were bacteria Streptococcus sp. , Arcanobacterium pyogenes and coagulase–negative staphylococci. The overall efficacy of the preparation synulox LC used for the treatment of intra-mammary infections ranged from 88.71 % to 96.15 %. Streptococcus sp. bacteria were 100% sensitive against combination of amoxycilin with clavulanat. Arcanobacterium pyogenes bacteria showed the sensitivity of 93.6 %, whilst the sensitivity of coagulase-negative staphylococci bacteria was at 90.0 %.
Characterization of the Antinociceptive and Pronociceptive Effects of Methadone in Rats

Background: Recently, it has been appreciated that in addition to their antinociceptive properties, opioid analgesics also can enhance pain sensitivity (opioid-induced hyperalgesia [OIH]). OIH may enhance preexisting pain and contribute to dose escalation, tolerance, and misuse/abuse of opioids. Better information is needed to determine which opioid or opioid combinations may be least likely to produce OIH and therefore possibly represent better choices for pain management. Herein the authors have examined the hyperalgesic and antinociceptive properties of racemic methadone and its enantiomers alone and in combination with morphine in rats. Methadone is of particular interest because it possesses both &mgr;-receptor agonist and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist activities. Methods: The antinociceptive and hyperalgesic properties of d,l-methadone, l-methadone, and d-methadone were characterized by dose and sex using the thermal tail-flick test (high and low intensity). The responses to l- and d-methadone combinations with morphine were also determined with this model. Results: Antinociceptive and hyperalgesic effects of d,l-methadone were demonstrated. These effects were related to dose but not to sex. The degree of hyperalgesia was greater with l-methadone compared with d,l-methadone. In contrast, d-methadone (N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist) did not produce hyperalgesia. Furthermore, d-methadone blocked morphine hyperalgesia, enhanced antinociception, and abolished sex-related differences. This seems to be the result of antagonistic activity of d-methadone at the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor. Conclusion: The current findings with methadone are supportive of previous findings implicating &mgr;-opioid and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor mechanisms in OIH. Better understanding of OIH may help in choosing the most appropriate opioids for use in the treatment of pain.
Compromised naturalistic action performance in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE Routine naturalistic actions (NAs) are familiar activities that require the production of several actions in a particular order to achieve a specific goal, such as preparing a meal or paying bills. Given that amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) has been shown to be a risk factor for dementia, a better understanding of the cognitive processes that mediate NA performance is needed in order to facilitate efforts to promote functional autonomy in this population. METHOD Performance of 2 highly familiar NAs, and their relationship to measures of episodic memory, semantic knowledge, and executive function was systematically investigated in a sample of healthy older adults (n = 24) and individuals with aMCI (n = 24). RESULTS In general, measures of executive function were related to commission errors, while episodic memory was associated with the omission of supporting actions. However, both errors of omission and commission appeared to draw on a diverse array of cognitive processes. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide preliminary evidence that the cognitive correlates of NA errors may not be as process pure as previously hypothesized in neuropsychological models. A more comprehensive understanding of the cognitive underpinnings of NAs in aMCI could lead to more effective intervention programs to promote functional autonomy and delay dementia onset. Furthermore, NAs may be administered in neurocognitive assessments to identify early changes in everyday functioning and facilitate differential diagnosis between healthy aging and aMCI.
Online cognitive behavioral therapy for depressed primary care patients: a pilot feasibility project.

CONTEXT Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a goal-oriented treatment that guides patients to healthy thoughts and behaviors. Internet-delivered CBT with supportive coaching can be as effective as in-person psychotherapy treatment of depression. OBJECTIVE To test the feasibility of engaging depressed primary care patients not currently receiving psychotherapy and to measure the outcomes of Internet-delivered CBT with supportive coaching. DESIGN Pilot feasibility project. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES 1) Uptake rate. 2) Reduction in depressive symptoms (average score on 20-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist) from baseline to 4-month follow-up. METHODS Medical records data were queried to identify patients experiencing a new episode of depression. Eligible patients were invited via secure messaging (patient and clinician communication using a secure Web site linked to the medical record) to participate in the Internet-delivered CBT program (also known as Thrive), which was algorithm-driven and delivered through didactic segments, interactive tools, and assessments. Patients completed a self-administered online follow-up survey four months after enrollment. RESULTS Of 196 eligible patients who were sent an invitation, 39 (20%) enrolled in the Internet-delivered CBT program. At follow-up, enrolled patients experienced a clinically significant decrease (average = 46%) in depressive symptoms. Suicidal thoughts also decreased both overall and by severity. CONCLUSIONS Seamless, scalable integration of Internet-delivered CBT into health care systems is feasible. The 20% uptake rate suggests that future work should focus on strategies to increase the initial response rate. One promising direction is the addition of "human touch" to the secure message invitation. Depression outcomes suggest promise for systemwide implementation of Internet-delivered CBT programs.
The impact of police social capital on officer performance of community policing

Social capital is used as a theoretical framework to reveal the importance of relationships between officers and their supervisors for performing community policing. It is expected that officers with higher levels of social capital will accomplish more community policing than their peers who have lesser amounts of trust, cooperation, group cohesion, and social support in their work relationships. Using data from the Project on Policing Neighborhoods, two measures of community policing were developed. Results from negative binomial and zero‐inflated negative binomial regression models did not support the premise that police social capital is related to officer performance of community policing. Instead, officer performance varied significantly according to the department in which the officer worked, whether officers were assigned to be community policing specialists, and their levels of tenure. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of organizational factors that promote or hinder the implementation of community policing.
The exo‐ or endonucleolytic preference of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A depends on its subsites structure and on the substrate size

The cleavage pattern of oligocytidylic acid substrates by bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) was studied by means of reversed‐phase HPLC. Oligocytidylic acids, ranging from dinucleotides to heptanucleotides, were obtained by RNase A digestion of poly(C). They were identified by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry; it was confirmed that all of them corresponded to the general structure (Cp)nC>p, in which C>p indicates a 2′,3′‐cyclic phosphate. This is a confirmation of the proposed mechanism for RNase A, wherein the so‐called hydrolytic (or second) step is in fact a special case of the reverse of transphosphorylation (first step). The patterns of cleavage for the oligonucleotide substrates show that the native enzyme has no special preference for endonucleolytic or exonucleolytic cleavage, whereas a mutant of the enzyme (K7Q/R10Q‐RNase A) lacking p2 (a phosphate binding subsite adjacent, on the 3′ side, to the main phosphate binding site p1) shows a clear exonucleolytic pattern; a mutant (K66Q‐RNase A) lacking p0 (a phosphate binding subsite adjacent, on the 5′ side, to the main phosphate binding site p1) shows a more endonucleolytic pattern. This indicates the important role played by the subsites on the preference for the bond cleaved. Molecular modeling shows that, in the case of the p2 mutant, the amide group of glutamine can form a hydrogen bond with the 2′,3′‐cyclic terminal phosphate, whereas the distance to a 3′,5′‐phosphodiester bond is too long to form such a hydrogen bond. This could explain the preference for exonucleolytic cleavage shown by the p2 mutant.
Cognitive impairment in adolescents with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether adolescent schizophrenia is characterized by neuropsychological deficits. METHOD The performance on a battery of neuropsychological tests of 17 adolescents with schizophrenia (mean age = 15.71 years) was compared with that of 17 normal adolescents (mean age = 15.12 years). RESULTS Compared with the normal subjects, the patients were impaired on 10 of the 13 measures; larger effect sizes were shown for measures involving working memory and attention than for those involving secondary memory, generative naming, and executive functions. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents with schizophrenia have generalized cognitive dysfunction, which is most apparent on tests of attention and working memory.
What facilitates e-government development? A cross-country analysis

There are relatively few empirical studies that analyse e-government development from a global perspective. Using secondary data from 115 countries and the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) as the guiding theoretical lens, we examine the facilitators for e-government development. Our research highlights the importance of national technological and organisational (human capital) contexts for e-government development. Our results also show that national environment (institutional and macroeconomic) is not a significant facilitator for e-government development. Further, post hoc analysis reveals the anomalous significant relationship of public institutions with e-government development in the negative direction. Through this research, we make some important contributions that have implications for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.
Transjugular Intrahepatic Porto-Systemic Stent-Shunt for Therapy of Bleeding Esophageal Varices Due to Extramedullary Hematopoiesis in Primary Myelofibrosis: A Case Report

Background: Primary myelofibrosis belongs to the group of myeloproliferative syndromes. Extramedullary hematopoiesis in the liver can lead to portal hypertension. Patient and Methods: We report a case of a patient with life-threatening, endoscopically not treatable bleeding from esophageal varices due to extramedullary hematopoiesis of the liver that was successfully treated with placement of a transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic stent-shunt (TIPS). Results: Therapy of variceal bleeding by TIPS insertion was successful. During a 29-month follow-up, no hepatic failure, hepatic encephalopathy, or further variceal bleeding episode occurred. Conclusion: TIPS placement is a well-established procedure for the treatment of complications due to portal hypertension mainly due to liver cirrhosis. This report illustrates that TIPS placement can also be a promising treatment option in patients with primary myelofibrosis and portal hypertension due to extramedullary hematopoiesis.
Stimulating effect of a new triterpene derived from Anoectochilus elwesii on glucose uptake in insulin-resistant human HepG2 cells

A new triterpene (1), 3-β-O-olean-11,13 (18)-diene-23,28-dioic acid, together with five known compounds (2–6), was isolated from Anoectochilus elwesii and their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and comparison with the literature data. Compound 1 was the first example of highly oxygenated triterpene obtained from Anoectochilus genus. The isolated compounds were evaluated on insulin-resistant human HepG2 cells for stimulating glucose uptake activity and the new compound displayed highly potent effect on the stimulation of glucose uptake in human HepG2 cells.