Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reactivity of fly ash: extension and application of a shrinking core model

In the present paper a theoretical study is presented on the dissolution (reaction) of pulverised powder coal fly ash. A shrinking core model is derived for hollow spheres that contain two regions (outer hull and inner region). The resulting analytical equations are applied to the dissolution experiments by Pietersen [1, 2], yielding reaction rates at various temperatures and pH for two class F fly ashes, that are separated in solid spheres and in hollow cenospheres. It is revealed that the available amount of reactive fly ash is proportional to the glass content of the fly ash, and that the reaction rate is proportional to this glass content as well. Moreover, it is concluded that the outer region is less reactive than the inner region, and that these reactivities are proportional to a power of the hydroxyl concentration. Subsequently, experimental data and model are used to assess the magnitude of inner and outer region. It seems that the outer hull of solid spheres and cenospheres are having the same thickness, about 2 μm.
First-in-man clinical trial of the oral pan-AKT inhibitor MK-2206 in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PURPOSE AKT signaling is frequently deregulated in human cancers. MK-2206 is a potent, oral allosteric inhibitor of all AKT isoforms with antitumor activity in preclinical models. A phase I study of MK-2206 was conducted to investigate its safety, maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics (PKs), pharmacodynamics (PDs), and preliminary antitumor efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced solid tumors received MK-2206 on alternate days. Paired tumor biopsies were mandated at the MTD for biomarker studies. PD studies incorporated tumor and hair follicle analyses, and putative predictive biomarker studies included tumor somatic mutation analyses and immunohistochemistry for phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) loss. RESULTS Thirty-three patients received MK-2206 at 30, 60, 75, or 90 mg on alternate days. Dose-limiting toxicities included skin rash and stomatitis, establishing the MTD at 60 mg. Drug-related toxicities included skin rash (51.5%), nausea (36.4%), pruritus (24.2%), hyperglycemia (21.2%), and diarrhea (21.2%). PKs (area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 48 hours and maximum measured plasma concentration) were dose proportional. Phosphorylated serine 473 AKT declined in all tumor biopsies assessed (P = .015), and phosphorylated threonine 246 proline-rich AKT substrate 40 was suppressed in hair follicles at 6 hours (P = .008), on days 7 (P = .028) and 15 (P = .025) with MK-2206; reversible hyperglycemia and increases in insulin c-peptide were also observed, confirming target modulation. A patient with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PTEN loss; KRAS G12D mutation) treated at 60 mg on alternate days experienced a decrease of approximately 60% in cancer antigen 19-9 levels and 23% shrinkage in tumor measurements. Two patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors had minor tumor responses. CONCLUSION MK-2206 was well tolerated, with evidence of AKT signaling blockade. Rational combination trials are ongoing to maximize clinical benefit with this therapeutic strategy.
Making sense of theory of mind and paranoia: The psychometric properties and reasoning requirements of a false belief sequencing task

Introduction. This study used Item–Response Theory (IRT) to model the psychometric properties of a false belief picture sequencing task. Consistent with the mental time travel hypothesis of paranoia, we anticipated that performance on this deductive theory of mind (ToM) task would not be associated with the presence of persecutory delusions but would be related to other clinical, cognitive, and demographic factors. Method. A large (N=237) and diverse clinical and nonclinical sample differing in levels of depression and paranoid ideation performed 2 ToM tasks: the false belief sequencing task and a ToM stories task that was used to assess the validity of the false belief sequencing task as a measure of ToM. Results. A unidimensional IRT model was found to fit the data well. Latent ToM ability as measured by the false belief sequencing task was negatively related with age and positively with IQ. In contrast to the ToM stories measure, there was no association between clinical diagnosis or symptoms and false belief picture sequencing after controlling for age and IQ. Conclusions. In line with mental time travel hypothesis of paranoia (Corcoran, 2010), performance on this deductive nonverbal ToM task is not related to the presence of paranoid symptoms. This measure is best suited for assessing ToM functioning where participants’ performance falls just short of the average latent ToM ability. Furthermore, it is sensitive to the effects of increasing age and decreasing IQ.
Wireless Underwater Communication via Analog OFDM Modulated Light

Short range wireless high data rate underwater communication systems become increasingly important. We provide the implementation, the setup and measurement results of the bit rate of our optical wireless underwater communication system in the Baltic Sea. In contrast to state of the art, our approach uses low frequency analog OFDM modulated light. This solution increases robustness, flexibility, and range. Furthermore, it decreases power requirements. Even with up to a 30 degree angular displacement of the transmitter the system works very well at a 6 m distance, and with a moderate power consumption of 7 W.
Reveal Temporal Patterns of Smoking Behavior in Real Life Using Data Acquired through Automatic Tracking Systems

Accurately monitoring and modeling smoking behavior in real life settings is critical for designing and delivering appropriate smoking-cessation interventions through mHealth applications. In this paper, we inspect smoking patterns based on data collected from 52 volunteers during a 4-week period of their everyday lives. These data are acquired by an automatic data acquisition system comprising an electric lighter, two wearable sensors and one mobile phone, which together can automatically track smoking events, collect concurrent context and physiology, and trigger pop-up questionnaires. We visualize temporal patterns of smoking at the level of the week, day and time of the day. Statistical analysis on all subjects has demonstrated significant differences at the levels evaluated. Distinct emotions during smoking at individual level are also found. Quantified smoking patterns can upgrade our understanding of individual behaviors and contribute to optimizing intervention plans.
Animal Models of Drug Addiction

The study of drug addiction integrates a broad range of research fields including social sciences, psychology, psychiatry, behavioural neurosciences, pharmacology or genetics, each of which being represented in the different chapters of this book. Preclinical studies involving behaving animals have been pivotal for our increasing insights into the psychobiological substrates of addiction and so for about 100 years. Even today, our understanding and knowledge of addiction increase in parallel with the refinement of animal models of this pathology.
Syndecan-1 and Wingless-type protein-1 in human ameloblastomas.

BACKGROUND Aberrant Wingless type 1 glycoprotein (Wnt) pathway in ameloblastomas and a role of syndecan-1 (SDC1) in activating Wnt signalling were perspected. SDC1 shifting from epithelium to stroma was reported in invasive non-odontogenic neoplasms. The aim of this study was to reveal the role of SDC1 and Wnt1 in intraosseous ameloblastomas (IA(s)). METHODS SDC1 and Wnt1 expressions were investigated in 29 ameloblastoma subtypes and seven tooth buds. RESULTS SDC1 immunostaining strongly depicted stromal cells, extracellular matrix (ECM) and basement membranes of ameloblastomas. It also showed epithelial tumour cells in the acanthomatous and plexiform subtypes, and it often occurred in stellate reticulum cells and basal ameloblasts of tooth buds. Parallel Wnt1 expression occurred in ameloblastomatous epithelial cells, but it was common in basal cells of tooth buds too. Statistically, a significant correlation was found between the percentage of IA(s)-bearing SDC1-positive stromal cells and ECM and the percentage of IA(s)-bearing Wnt1-positive epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS A role of SDC1 in stromal cells and ECM can be hypothesized as a critical factor for carcinogenesis and local invasiveness of IA(s).
Molecular diagnosis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome)

Lynch syndrome is the most common cause of inherited colorectal cancer, totaling 5 to 8% of all the cases with high susceptibility to this type of cancer and extracolonic cancer. It is related to germinal mutations taking place at mismatch repair genes. The diagnosis of Lynch syndrome is essential for both monitoring patients with this disease and detecting asymptomatic carriers, in order to establish appropriate clinical monitoring, preventive management and genetic counseling Although clinical criteria have been standardized by implementing Amsterdam I and II, as well as Bethesda guidelines, the detection rate of mutations in these genes only varies between 20% and 60%. The objective of this research was to review the state of the art regarding molecular diagnosis of Lynch syndrome; thus, a review of the literature published from 1995 to 2015 in PubMed database was performed by using the criteria “lynch syndrome molecular screening”. 19 articles were selected and reviewed, and the relevant bibliography related to such articles was also reviewed. This paper presents different approaches proposed by several researchers on molecular algorithms to improve the efficiency of Lynch syndrome diagnosis.
Polymorphism of Pro12Ala in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 gene in Iranian diabetic and obese subjects.

BACKGROUND Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 (PPARgamma2) is a nuclear receptor that regulates adipocyte differentiation, lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the Pro12Ala single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the PPARgamma2 gene and type II diabetes (T2DM) and obesity in an Iranian population. METHODS The genomic DNA of the 312 subjects included four groups: (1) nonobese with type II diabetes, (2) obese without type II diabetes, (3) obese with type II diabetes, and (4) nondiabetic nonobese controls. The Pro12Ala polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. RESULTS Frequencies of the Ala allele in obese subjects were significantly different from those control subjects (odds ratio [OR], 2.358; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.101-5.05) (P = 0.025). In contrast, no significant association was detected between the Pro12Ala polymorphism and type II diabetes (OR, 0.652; 95% CI, 0.261-1.628). In all subjects, the Ala carriers had a higher body mass index (BMI) compared with the common allele. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPARgamma2 gene is associated with obesity in Iranian subjects and the presence of the Ala allele could predict higher BMI.
Learned Attention to Parts Results in Holistic Processing

Attention helps us focus on what is most relevant to our goals, and prior work shows that aspects of attention can be learned. Learned inattention to parts can abolish holistic processing of faces, but it is unknown whether learned attention to parts is sufficient to cause a change from part-based to holistic processing with objects. Here, we trained subjects to individuate non-face objects (Greebles) from two categories, Ploks and Glips. Diagnostic information was in complementary halves for the two categories. Holistic processing was then tested with Plok-Glip composites that combined the kind of part that was diagnostic or non-diagnostic during training. Exposure to Greeble parts resulted in general failures of selective attention for non-diagnostic composites, but face-like holistic processing was only observed for diagnostic composites. These results demonstrate a novel link between learned attentional control and the acquisition of holistic processing.
Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome.

THE production of hormones and other protein markers by tumors has been an intriguing area of tumor biology. It has become apparent during the last decades that a wide range of endocrine tumors secrete hormones not normally associated with the gland in which the neoplasm arises and that nonendocrine tumors can synthesize and/or secrete polypeptide hormones and other tumor-associated proteins. The production of such tumor markers has come to be referred to as “ectopic” or “inappropriate” when the marker is not obviously associated with the tissue from which the tumor derives. Initially the presence of ectopic hormone secretion caused by cancer was considered as rare or unusual, but with the use of modern techniques of hormone detection these syndromes are felt to be common. Indeed, Odell et al. (1) have postulated that all tumors make POMC and other protein markers. Meador et al. (2) developed the concept that certain tumors of “nonendocrine” tissues can give rise to Cushing's syndrome by secreting an adre.
Nurses' satisfaction with their work environment and the outcomes of clinical nursing supervision on nurses' experiences of well-being -- a Norwegian study.

BACKGROUND Various studies have demonstrated that nursing is stressful and that the incidence of occupational stress-related burnout in the profession is high. AIM This descriptive-correlational study examined nurses' satisfaction with their psychosocial work environment, their moral sensitivity and differences in outcomes of clinical nursing supervision in relation to nurses' well-being by systematically comparing supervised and unsupervised nurses. METHODS Nurses were selected from two hospitals (n = 71). Data collection was by means of questionnaires and analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS The nurses' satisfaction with their psychosocial work environment was reflected in six factors: 'job stress and anxiety', 'relationship with colleagues', 'collaboration and good communication', 'job motivation', 'work demands' and 'professional development'. The nurses' perceptions of moral sensitivity comprised seven factors: 'grounds for actions', 'ethical conflicts', 'values in care', 'independence patient-oriented care', 'the desire to provide high-quality care' and 'the desire to provide high-quality care creates ethical dilemmas'. Nurses well-being were reflected in four factors 'physical symptom and anxiety', 'feelings of not being in control', 'engagement and motivation' and 'eye strain sleep disturbance'. The moral sensitivity 'ethical conflicts' were found to have mild negative correlations with psychosocial work environment 'job stress and anxiety professional development' and with 'total score' psychosocial work, moral sensitivity factor 'independence were correlated with psychosocial work factor 'relationships with colleagues' and 'total score', moral sensitivity were mildly correlated with 'collaboration and good communication and had a negative correlation to psychosocial work factor 'work demands'. In addition, significant correlations were found between the nurses' well-being profile and demographic variables, between 'engagement and motivation' and 'absence due to illness' and between 'time allocation for tasks', 'physical symptoms and anxiety' and 'age'. Mild significant differences were found between nurses attending and not attending group supervision and between 'physical symptoms and anxiety' and 'feelings of not being in control'. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that ethical conflicts in nursing are a source of job-related stress and anxiety. The outcome of supporting nurses by clinical nursing supervision may have a positive influence on their perceptions of well-being. clinical nursing supervision have a positive effect on nurses physical symptoms and their feeling of anxiety as well as having a sense of being in control of the situation. We also conclude that psychosocial work have an influence on nurses experience of having or not having control and their engagement and motivation.
Asbestos and erionite fibres can induce mutations in human lymphocytes that result in loss of heterozygosity

Although asbestos and erionite are proven human carcinogens, most studies have concluded that these fibres are not mutagenic to mammalian cells in vitro. We have studied the potential of these fibres and chrysotile fibres to induce mutations in human peripheral lymphocytes, using a mutation assay that measures mutation at the autosomal HLA‐A locus. Exposure of lymphocytes in culture to 400 μg/ml of crocidolite or erionite for 72 hr did not result in a statistically significant increase in the mutation frequency (MF) in the HLA‐A assay, although a trend towards increased MF was observed. Exposure to 400 μg/ml chrysotile resulted in no increase in MF; however a significant increase was observed at 50 μg/ml. Mutations in somatic cells can be classified according to their molecular basis. Molecular analysis of mutants obtained following exposure of lymphocytes to crocidolite and erionite demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the class of mutations arising from loss‐of‐heterozygosity (LOH) events involving the selection locus (HLA‐A) and more distal loci. Mutations following exposure to crocidolite and erionite showed a greater frequency of LOH than did spontaneous mutants (p < 0.02 and p < 0.005 respectively). Mutants following exposure to chrysotile did not display a significant difference in LOH when compared with spontaneous mutants. Thus, although an increase in overall mutation frequency following fibre exposure did not achieve statistical significance, the modest increase seen following exposure to erionite and crocidolite is translated into a highly significant change in those components of the spectrum of mutations which result in LOH. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pathology of Naturally Occurring Paratuberculosis in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

Gross and histologic lesions of paratuberculosis were studied in water buffaloes. Small intestines and associated mesenteric lymph nodes of 405 water buffaloes were examined. Of these, 20 animals having visible changes of intestinal thickening, mucosal corrugations, and enlargement of mesenteric lymph nodes exhibited histologic alteration characteristics of mild to moderate granulomatous inflammation. The histologic lesions observed in these animals were classified into 3 grades on the basis of type of cellular infiltration, granuloma formation, and presence of acid-fast bacilli. Grade-1 lesions observed in 8 animals were marked by the presence of scattered epithelioid macrophages amid large number of lymphocytes in the intestinal villi and in the paracortical regions of the associated mesenteric lymph nodes. Another 8 animals classified under grade-2 revealed microgranulomas, infiltration with a larger number of epithelioid macrophages besides lymphocytes in the intestinal villi, and granulomas in the mesenteric lymph nodes. Grade-3 lesions observed in 4 animals were characterized by the presence of epithelioid granulomas and giant cells in the intestines and the mesenteric lymph nodes. The Ziehl-Neelsen's stained tissue sections revealed acid-fast bacilli in grade-3 and −2 animals and acid-fast granular debris in grade-1 animals. Among these 20 buffaloes, 14 (70%) were positive in the IS900 specific polymerase chain reaction and 6 (30%) were positive in the bacterial culture.
Development of a high temperature controlled atmosphere quarantine treatment for pome and stone fruits

The research presented describes how a technology called Controlled Atmosphere Temperature Treatment System (CATTS), can be used as a quarantine treatment against insect pests of apples, pears and sweet cherries. High temperature forced air has not been useful for these temperate fruit because the heat dose required to kill the target insect pests (codling moth and western cherry fruit fly) caused unacceptable damage to fruit market quality. Heating a commodity in a controlled atmosphere was shown to reduce the heat dose required for controlling the insect pest without damaging fruit quality
Auditory and visual similarity of pitch contours.

It has been shown that visual display systems of intonation can be employed beneficially in teaching intonation to persons with deafness and in teaching the intonation of a foreign language. In this paper, the question is addressed whether important audible differences between two pitch contours correspond with visually conspicuous differences between displayed pitch contours. If visual feedback of intonation is to be effective in teaching situations, such correspondence must exist. In two experiments, phoneticians rated the dissimilarity of two pitch contours. In the first experiment they rated the two pitch contours auditorily (i.e., by listening to two resynthesized utterances). In the second, they rated the same two pitch contours visually (i.e., by looking at the two contours displayed on a computer screen). The results indicate why visual feedback may be very effective in intonation training if pitch contours are displayed in such a way that only auditorily relevant features are represented.
Determination of Pulmonary Tissue volume, Pulmonary Capillary Blood Flow and Diffusing Capacity of the Lung before and after Hemodialysis

In order to better understand changes in lung function before and after dialysis, we studied eight patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Pulmonary tissue volume (Vt), pulmonary capillary blood flow (Q̇c), the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), arterial blood gases and body weight were measured before and after dialysis. A single breath, constant expiratory flow technique for determination of DLCO, Q̇c and Vt was used. DLCO, Q̇c, arterial carbon dioxide, and body weight were reduced post dialysis (P ≤ .01) while Vt failed to change. The alveolar-arterial oxygen difference rose 12 mmHg (P = .01). These results are consistent with pulmonary microembolization during dialysis with deterioration of gas exchange and Q̇c. These changes appear to occur independent of significant changes in Vt. Possible physiologic mechanisms are discussed.
Behavioral plasticity in C. elegans: paradigms, circuits, genes.

Life in the soil is an intellectual and practical challenge that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans masters by utilizing 302 neurons. The nervous system assembled by these 302 neurons is capable of executing a variety of behaviors, some of respectable complexity. The simplicity of the nervous system, its thoroughly characterized structure, several sets of well-defined behaviors, and its genetic amenability combined with its isogenic background make C. elegans an attractive model organism to study the genetics of behavior. This review describes several behavioral plasticity paradigms in C. elegans and their underlying neuronal circuits and then goes on to review the forward genetic analysis that has been undertaken to identify genes involved in the execution of these behaviors. Lastly, the review outlines how reverse genetics and genomic approaches can guide the analysis of the role of genes in behavior and why and how they will complement the forward genetic analysis of behavior.
On the α-loss Landscape in the Logistic Model

We analyze the optimization landscape of a recently introduced tunable class of loss functions called α-loss, α ∈ (0, ∞], in the logistic model. This family encapsulates the exponential loss (α = 1/2), the log-loss (α = 1), and the 0-1 loss (α = ∞) and contains compelling properties that enable the practitioner to discern among a host of operating conditions relevant to emerging learning methods. Specifically, we study the evolution of the optimization landscape of α-loss with respect to α using tools drawn from the study of strictly-locally-quasi-convex functions in addition to geometric techniques. We interpret these results in terms of optimization complexity via normalized gradient descent.