Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uniform Solute Deposition of Evaporable Droplet in Nanoliter Wells

There have been many microdeposition processes that are based on the evaporation of nanoliter-sized droplets, such as inkjet printing, deoxyribonucleic acid/protein microarrays, or lithography direct writing. However, it is important but still difficult to control the uniformity of the solute deposition from a nanoliter sessile droplet on a plane substrate. This paper proposes a method for uniform solute deposition from evaporable droplet by confining the droplet with rib structures (wells) of specific surface properties. The hydrodynamic process was experimentally investigated and analyzed in detail. Surface wettability on the well surface is verified to be critical for controlling a droplet as a flat film inside a well during evaporation to minimize horizontal solute transfer for uniform solute deposition. Pure water and water/tracing particle mixture (2.57% solid latex, dyed blue) were employed for the test. The results demonstrated that a 97% uniformity is obtained for the solute deposited from a 37-nL droplet in a well with hydrophobic surface (contact angle of 100deg), whereas a 31% uniformity is obtained for a more hydrophilic surface (contact angle of 25deg). The higher hydrophobicity (contact angle above 90deg) on the well surface yields a flatter profile of film during droplet evaporation inside a well and, thus, promotes a more uniform deposition of the solute.
Colonic diverticulosis is associated with an increased adenoma detection rate in patients undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND Diverticulosis is a common finding in patients undergoing colonoscopy. The effect of colonic diverticulosis on the colorectal adenoma detection rate (ADR) and other colonoscopy quality indicators remains unclear. OBJECTIVES To determine if colonic diverticulosis is associated with differences in (1) colorectal ADR and (2) other quality indicators and operating characteristics in patients undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy. METHODS Retrospective cohort study conducted at an outpatient surgical center affiliated with an academic medical center. RESULTS 300 consecutive patients (190 women) with a median age of 57 years (range: 23-70 years) who underwent colonoscopy for various indications were included. 108 (36%) of these 300 patients had diverticulosis found on colonoscopy. 142 (47.3%) of these patients (88 women, median age of 52 years) underwent their first screening colonoscopy. In this population, the frequency of colonic diverticula was 39.2%, and the ADR was 47.5% for patients with diverticulosis and 27.4% for patients without diverticulosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of diverticulosis had an associated odds ratio of 2.3 (p=0.04) in favor of finding at least one adenoma. No statistically significant differences were found among the rates of total colonoscopy, median scope insertion and withdrawal times, and the amounts of midazolam and fentanyl required for sedation when patients with diverticulosis were compared to those without diverticulosis. CONCLUSION Colonic diverticulosis was associated with an increased ADR in patients undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy. The presence of colonic diverticulosis did not adversely affect the cecal intubation rate, scope insertion or withdrawal times, or sedation requirements.
Characterization of Binding Sites for Chemokines MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α on Human Brain Microvessels

Abstract: The presence of binding sites for the β chemokines monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) and macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α) has recently been identified on human brain microvessels. We extend these findings in this report to reveal that such sites exemplify characteristics of the recognized major receptors for MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α: CCR2, and CCR1 and CCR5, respectively. Specifically, labeled MCP‐1 binding to isolated brain microvessels was inhibited by unlabeled MCP‐1 and MCP‐3, the latter another CCR2 ligand, but not by MIP‐1α. Inhibition of labeled MIP‐1α binding was achieved with unlabeled MIP‐1α and RANTES, the latter a β chemokine that binds to both CCR1 and CCR5, but not by MCP‐1. Labeled MIP‐1α binding was also antagonized by unlabeled MCP‐3, which is also recognized by CCR1, and MIP‐1β, which is a ligand for CCR5. Labeled MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α were further observed to be internalized within the endothelial cells of brain microvessels, following their binding to the microvascular surface at 37°C. Additionally, exposure of microvessels to unlabeled MCP‐1 or MIP‐1α was accompanied by the initial loss and subsequent recovery of surface binding sites for these chemokines, which occurred on a time scale consistent with ligand‐induced endocytosis and recycling. These collective features bear striking similarity to those that characterize interactions of MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α with their receptors on leukocytes and underscore the concept of cognate chemokine receptors on brain microvascular endothelium.
Parameterising a detailed dynamic programming model of savings and labour supply using cross-sectional data

Dynamic programming methods are now commonly used to describe behaviour in contexts where uncertainty is likely to have an important bearing on decision making. Using a publicly available structural dynamic microsimulation model, LINDA, this paper provides new insights into how unobservable preference parameters ? particularly those associated with risk aversion ? can be coherently identified on broad-based moments of decision making observed for a population cross-section. Preference parameters identified on UK data are found to be in-line with those reported in the wider econometric literature
Job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior of personnel at one university hospital in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) of the personnel at one university hospital in Thailand. MATERIAL AND METHOD This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 296 respondents who worked in the Office of the Dean, 13 departments and 2 Offices of Research Center and Office of Community Medicine Center. All of them were personnel in one university hospital in Thailand. The Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire of Niehoff and Moorman using the five dimensions scale developed by Podsakoff and Mackenzie and Job Descriptive Index (JDI) were used for assessing job satisfaction. For inferential statistics, Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient was used for correlation. RESULTS The percentage mean score of job satisfaction was 58.67 and subscale of job satisfaction was found that satisfaction with supervision held the highest of the mean score, while satisfaction with pay and promotion had the lowest and low of the mean score. The mean score of OCB was high and the facets of OCB was found that conscientiousness had the highest mean score and sportsmanship had the lowest. By using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient to analyze the relationships between satisfaction and OCB, it showed that there were statistically significant low positive correlations between job satisfaction and OCB (r = 0.173, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION The one university hospital executives should promote the pay, promotion and supervision factors which encourage personnel to be satisfied and demonstrate their OCB as their reciprocal reaction.
Patterns of biodiversity and habitat sensitivity in agricultural landscapes

Design of landscape is the process of the arrangement of spatial features with the objective of sustaining ecosystem services, and maintaining ecological functionality to meet societal needs. Along a gradient of cultivation intensity, the functional quality of agricultural landscape was explored and the relationships between landscape metrics and functional quality were analyzed, in order to make effective recommendations for landscape design aimed at sustainable land use schemes. The functional quality of landscape was calculated using the InVest model for 20 farm landscapes (North-Eastern Italy) where biodiversity (plant taxa) and sensitivity to disturbance (hemeroby) were used as model inputs. Results highlighted the importance of specific habitat types such as meadows and woodlands rather than other habitats for improving the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes. A high proportion of these habitats enhanced the functional quality of the landscape when the habitats were organized in large and not isolated patches in heterogeneous landscapes.
Prophylaxis and Therapy for Chikungunya Virus Infection

Abstract BackgroundChikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a recently reemerged arbovirus responsible for a massive outbreak of infection in the Indian Ocean region and India that has a very significant potential to spread globally because of the worldwide distribution of its mosquito vectors. CHIKV induces a usually self-limited disease in humans that is characterized by fever, arthralgia, myalgia, and rash; however, cases of severe CHIKV infection have recently been described, particularly in adults with underlying condition and neonates born to viremic mothers MethodsHuman polyvalent immunoglobulins were purified from plasma samples obtained from donors in the convalescent phase of CHIKV infection, and the preventive and curative effects of these immunoglobulins were investigated in 2 mouse models of CHIKV infection that we developed ResultsCHIKV immunoglobulins contain anti-CHIKV antibodies and exhibit a high in vitro neutralizing activity and a powerful prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against CHIKV infection in vivo, including in the neonate ConclusionsAdministration of CHIKV immunoglobulins may constitute a safe and efficacious prevention strategy and treatment for individuals exposed to CHIKV who are at risk of severe infection, such as neonates born to viremic mothers and adults with underlying conditions. These results provide a proof-of-concept for purifying human immunoglobulins from plasma samples from patients in the convalescent phase of an emerging infectious disease for which neither prevention nor treatment is available
Joint Power Adaptation, Scheduling, and Routing for Ultra Wide Band Networks

A general cross-layer optimization problem, to maximize network efficiency (min-max power) of ad-hoc networks, is formulated including power adaptation, scheduling and routing functionalities. The non-convexity of the link capacity, high dimensionality of multi-hop routing and inter-layer interactions among the protocol layers, renders the problem hard. Conversion to an equivalent form, results in two clearly separable sub-problems, demonstrating the functionalities of the protocol layers. This decomposition allows the application of a simple shortest path based algorithm to the high-dimensional routing sub-problem. Further, in the case of UWB networks, the non-convex scheduling & power adaptation sub-problem can be effectively approximated and solved by applying a novel quadratic lower bound to the link capacity function. Using these algorithmic solutions to these sub-problems, an interior point solver generating solutions to the joint UWB network problem is developed. The various simulation results demonstrate interesting characteristics of the optimal routing and scheduling solutions, and provide benchmarks for UWB network design. Comparison with prior information theoretic capacity results, validates the importance of this cross-layer optimization framework
Phospholipid composition of Pneumocystis carinii carinii and effects of methylprednisolone immunosuppression on rat lung lipids

The phospholipid class composition of Pneumocystis carinii carinii freshly isolated from infected lungs generally resembled that of the host lung, suggesting that the parasite scavenges lung alveolar lipids. However, subtle quantitative differences were demonstrated, indicating that the pathogen has the metabolic capacity to de novo synthesize, or at least tailor, its lipids. The concentration of phosphatidylcholine, the major lung surfactant lipid, in the organism was lower than that in lungs of normal and immunosuppressed uninfected rats, and the concentration of phosphatidylinositol was higher. Phosphonolipids were not detected in the organism by chemical analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. The immunosuppressive regimen alone caused increases in both surfactant protein A and the lipid content of the whole lung. The lungs of rats that were subjected to corticosteroid immunosuppression and had heavy parasite loads had dramatically elevated surfactant protein A levels, whereas the lipid contents of these lungs were not different from lipid contents in whole lungs of immunosuppressed uninfected rats. P. carinii was found to concentrate lipids, indicating that a large amount of the lipids in the whole infected rat lung was within the parasites residing in the organ. These observations have important implications relevant to the use of corticosteroid therapy for P. carinii pneumonitis.
To tweet or not to tweet: the effects of social media endorsements on unfamiliar sport brands and athlete endorsers

Unfamiliar sport brands are consistently searching for ways to gain the interest of consumers and to differentiate the brand’s messages from the huge amount of advertising communications consumers receive on a daily basis. One of the most powerful methods used to distinguish one brand from others is an alliance with athlete endorsers. Companies are actively courting athlete endorsers and their social media accounts to reach consumers. However, little is known about the effects of these alliances. Therefore, two studies were conducted: (1) to explore the effectiveness of Twitter endorsement campaigns for unfamiliar sport brands, and (2) to investigate the influence that Twitter endorsements for unfamiliar sport brands have on athlete endorsers. The study revealed that attitude toward the unfamiliar sport brand was positively influenced by the athlete endorser’s Twitter message and that trustworthiness was the dominant characteristic influencing credibility of an endorser through Twitter.
Intervening to Improve Communication Between Parents, Teachers, and Primary Care Providers of Children With ADHD or at High Risk for ADHD

This study examines interventions designed to improve communication between individuals who take care of children with ADHD. A teacher rating of 6,171 elementary school children identifies 1,573 children with ADHD or with high risk for ADHD. Parent interviews and information from teachers are collected on 243 children who are randomized into treatment and control conditions and followed for 39 months. The interventions consisted of group workshops and single one-on-one tutorials with parents, teachers, and providers about the evaluation and treatment of ADHD that stressed the need for communication between the three parties. There are few significant effects on communication that are short lived. Results suggest that the interventions are insufficient to cause significant increase in communication. Future attempts to improve parent-teacher-provider coordination should be continuing rather than single-session interventions.
Etiology of Acute Epididymitis Presenting in a Venereal Disease Clinic

Sixteen patients aged 19–42 years and suffering from acute epididmytitis were investigated. In tweleve patients evidence of acute epididymitis developed without premonitory urethral symptoms. The only microbiologic finding for ten patients was Chlamydia trachomatis; both C. trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae were isolated from four patients. Two patients, who had recently had antibiotic treatment, harbored neither of these microorganisms. These observations indicate that C. trachomatis must be considered a dominant cause of acute epididymitis in the younger age groups. This fact has implications for the choice of treatment (crythromycin or tetracycline) and the investigations and treatment of sexual contacts.
Prognostic significance of monocarboxylate transporter expression in oral cavity tumors

ABSTRACT Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer. The majority of patients present advanced stage disease and has poor survival. Therefore, it is imperative to search for new biomarkers and new alternative and effective treatment options. Most cancer cells rely on aerobic glycolysis to generate energy and metabolic intermediates. This phenotype is a hallmark of cancer, characterized by an increase in glucose consumption and production of high amounts of lactate. Consequently, cancer cells need to up-regulate many proteins and enzymes related with the glycolytic metabolism. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize metabolic phenotype of oral cavity cancers (OCC) by assessing the expression pattern of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) 1, 2 and 4 and other proteins related with the glycolytic phenotype. Material and Methods: We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of MCT1, MCT4, CD147, GLUT1 and CAIX in 135 human samples of OCC and investigated the correlation with clinicopathological parameters and the possible association with prognosis. Results: We observed that all proteins analyzed presented significantly higher plasma membrane expression in neoplastic compared to non-neoplastic samples. MCT4 was significantly associated with T-stage and advanced tumoral stage, while CD147 was significantly correlated with histologic differentiation. Interestingly, tumors expressing both MCT1 and MCT4 but negative for MCT2 were associated with shorter overall survival. Conclusion: Overexpression of MCT1/4, CD147, GLUT1 and CAIX, supports previous findings of metabolic reprograming in OCC, warranting future studies to explore the hyper-glycolytic phenotype of these tumors. Importantly, MCT expression revealed to have a prognostic value in OCC survival.
Exploring the Link between Religious Attitudes and Subjective Well-Being in Chronic Pain Patients

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the relations between religious attitudes and subjective well-being in a sample of chronic pain (CP) patients and to investigate whether these associations would differ from those obtained with healthy controls. Method: A total of 155 CP patients (72% women) and 166 healthy controls (72% women) completed questionnaires on pain, religious attitudes, and subjective well-being. The religious attitudes focused both on religiosity as such (Inclusion vs Exclusion of Transcendence) as on the cognitive approach of religious contents (Symbolic vs Literal). Results: Mean-level analyses showed significant differences between the CP and control samples on subjective well-being and Literal Exclusion. Mediation analyses found a direct influence of sample (CP vs control) on subjective well-being as well as an indirect effect via Literal Exclusion. Correlation analyses revealed that Literal Exclusion correlated negatively with well-being in both samples, whereas Literal Inclusion did not. The differential variable between the two samples was the symbolic approach of religion (Symbolic Inclusion and Exclusion), which was significantly associated with higher levels of well-being only in the CP sample. Conclusion: A literal approach toward religion in combination with a rejection of religion (Literal Exclusion) was, in general—both for CP patients as for healthy controls—associated with lower levels of well-being. In CP patients (but not in healthy controls), a symbolic approach toward religion (regardless of Inclusion or Exclusion of religion) was significantly associated with higher levels of subjective well-being.
Association Between Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery and Primary Cesarean Delivery Rates

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) rates and primary cesarean delivery rates in California hospitals. METHODS: Hospital VBAC rates were calculated using birth certificate and discharge data from 2009, and hospitals were categorized by quartile of VBAC rate. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds of cesarean delivery among low-risk nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term in vertex presentation (nulliparous term singleton vertex) by hospital VBAC quartile while controlling for many patient-level and hospital-level confounders. RESULTS: There were 468,789 term singleton births in California in 2009 at 255 hospitals, 125,471 of which were low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex. Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery rates varied between hospitals, with a range of 0–44.6%. Rates of cesarean delivery among low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex women declined significantly with increasing VBAC rate. When adjusted for maternal and hospital characteristics, low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex women who gave birth in hospitals in the highest VBAC quartile had an odds ratio of 0.55 (95% confidence interval 0.46–0.66) of cesarean delivery compared with women at hospitals with the lowest VBAC rates. Each percentage point increase in a hospital's VBAC rate was associated with a 0.65% decrease in the low-risk nulliparous term singleton vertex cesarean delivery rate. CONCLUSION: Hospitals with higher rates of VBAC have lower rates of primary cesarean delivery among low-risk nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term in vertex presentation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Assessing the Impact of Renewable Energy Sources: Simulation analysis of the Japanese electricity market

This paper evaluates the impact of renewable energy (RE) sources on market outcomes in Japan. We develop a simulation model to compute the kWh-market equilibrium, and conduct simulation exercises for 2015 and 2030. Using scenarios proposed by the government, we find that the diffusion of RE sources would lower the kWh-market prices and greenhouse gases by reducing fossil fuel consumption in 2030. It would also mothball many of the thermal power plants, which were active and profitable in 2015.
B-lymphoid cells with attributes of dendritic cells regulate T cells via indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase

A discrete population of splenocytes with attributes of dendritic cells (DCs) and coexpressing the B-cell marker CD19 is uniquely competent to express the T-cell regulatory enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in mice treated with TLR9 ligands (CpGs). Here we show that IDO-competent cells express the B-lineage commitment factor Pax5 and surface immunoglobulins. CD19 ablation abrogated IDO-dependent T-cell suppression by DCs, even though cells with phenotypic attributes matching IDO-competent cells developed normally and expressed IDO in response to interferon γ. Consequently, DCs and regulatory T cells (Tregs) did not acquire T-cell regulatory functions after TLR9 ligation, providing an alternative perspective on the known T-cell regulatory defects of CD19-deficient mice. DCs from B-cell–deficient mice expressed IDO and mediated T-cell suppression after TLR9 ligation, indicating that B-cell attributes were not essential for B-lymphoid IDO-competent cells to regulate T cells. Thus, IDO-competent cells constitute a distinctive B-lymphoid cell type with quintessential T-cell regulatory attributes and phenotypic features of both B cells and DCs.