Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydrothermal synthesis, structural and optical properties of transition metal (Zn, Fe, Co) doped SnO nanocrystals

Undoped and transition metal (Zn, Fe, Co) doped tin monoxide (SnO) nanocrystals have been synthesized by using the hydrothermal technique. The grown nanocrystals were characterized with respect to the determination of the formed phases, particle size, band gap and morphology, using the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The result indicates that the nanocrystals have exhibited tetragonal structure, wide absorption in the visible-light region and surface morphology shows that plate, sphere and cuboid likes structure. The optical band gap value of nanocrystals was estimated using the Kubela - Munk method. Tunable band gaps can be obtained by doping transition metals. An exponentially varying absorption edge was observed and explained in terms of the Urbach's tail.
Mechanical behavior of the KSTAR central solenoid preloading structure according to the coil current

The central solenoid (CS) magnet system of the KSTAR consists of four pairs of superconducting coils which are stacked with up-down symmetry and supporting structures which can give pre-compression in a vertical direction on the coil stack to sustain the contact between coils. The CS system of the KSTAR was mechanically preloaded with about 7.3 MN at room temperature by preloading structure in order to preserve the structural stability from thermal and electromagnetic loads which can make coil stack misaligned. It has been shown that the CS system stably operated in terms of mechanical behavior during seven thermal cycles from 300 K to 4.5 K and its peak coil current of 9 kA per turn for plasma operation until 2014. However, the performance test of the CS coils at a higher coil current was required for a long pulse operation. In 2014, the CS coils were successfully charged up to its current of 15 kA per turn step by step during the comprehensive commissioning of the KSTAR Motor Generator (MG) system whose peak power is 200 MVA compared with 100 MVA of available grid power. The adverse effect on the structural stability of the CS system was not found although the axial compressive force preloaded on the CS system was gradually released due to the attractive force between the coils which can make coil stack contracted according to the increase in coil current. This paper describes the effect of the CS coil current on the mechanical behavior of the KSTAR CS system as well as the results of the variation of compressive force according to the coil current.
Alcohol involvement in Swedish University freshmen related to gender, age, serious relationship and family history of alcohol problems.

AIM The primary aim of this study was to describe alcohol involvement in relation to gender and different age cohorts among freshmen at two Swedish universities. The secondary aim was to investigate whether the results were related to a likelihood of students being in serious relationships and/or had a first-degree relative with alcohol problems. METHODS Two complete cohorts of university freshmen at two homogeneous universities were asked to participate in an intervention study, and the results of the basic assessments are presented in this article. The following instruments were used: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Estimated Blood Alcohol Concentration (eBAC) and a shortened version of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ). RESULTS A total of 2032 (72%) freshmen agreed to participate. The mean AUDIT score was 8.8 (+/-4.9) for men and 6.0 (+4.0) for women, and there were high correlations between the AUDIT and other instruments. There were significant differences between different age groups for both men and women. Both genders were more likely to have AUDIT scores higher than the usual cut-off levels for high-risk interventions among those with first-degree heredity of alcohol problems, while those students in serious relationships were less likely to have AUDIT scores above the usual cut-off levels for high-risk interventions. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals a high level of alcohol involvement among Swedish university freshmen. This is affected by age, gender, heredity of alcohol problems and serious relationships.
GATA2 facilitates steroid receptor coactivator recruitment to the androgen receptor complex

Significance Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is a key driver of prostate cancer (PC), even in the context of resistance to current therapies, creating an unmet need for novel approaches to inhibit AR. We demonstrate that the transcription factor GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2) is critical for both AR expression and optimal transcriptional activity. GATA2 colocalizes with AR and Forkhead box protein A1 on chromatin to enhance recruitment of steroid receptor coactivators and formation of the transcriptional holocomplex. A GATA2 inhibitor suppressed the expression and transcriptional function of AR (including the constitutively active splice variants) and exerted potent anticancer activity against PC cells. We propose GATA2 inhibition as a previously unexplored approach to extinguish both ligand-dependent and ligand-independent AR transcriptional activity and to improve clinical outcomes for PC patients. The androgen receptor (AR) is a key driver of prostate cancer (PC), even in the state of castration-resistant PC (CRPC) and frequently even after treatment with second-line hormonal therapies such as abiraterone and enzalutamide. The persistence of AR activity via both ligand-dependent and ligand-independent mechanisms (including constitutively active AR splice variants) highlights the unmet need for alternative approaches to block AR signaling in CRPC. We investigated the transcription factor GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2) as a regulator of AR signaling and an actionable therapeutic target in PC. We demonstrate that GATA2 directly promotes expression of both full-length and splice-variant AR, resulting in a strong positive correlation between GATA2 and AR expression in both PC cell lines and patient specimens. Conversely, GATA2 expression is repressed by androgen and AR, suggesting a negative feedback regulatory loop that, upon androgen deprivation, derepresses GATA2 to contribute to AR overexpression in CRPC. Simultaneously, GATA2 is necessary for optimal transcriptional activity of both full-length and splice-variant AR. GATA2 colocalizes with AR and Forkhead box protein A1 on chromatin to enhance recruitment of steroid receptor coactivators and formation of the transcriptional holocomplex. In agreement with these important functions, high GATA2 expression and transcriptional activity predicted worse clinical outcome in PC patients. A GATA2 small molecule inhibitor suppressed the expression and transcriptional function of both full-length and splice-variant AR and exerted potent anticancer activity against PC cell lines. We propose pharmacological inhibition of GATA2 as a first-in-field approach to target AR expression and function and improve outcomes in CRPC.
The essential role of the phosphorylated pathway of serine biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

In plants, 3 different pathways of serine biosynthesis have been described: the Glycolate pathway, which is associated with photorespiration, and 2 non-photorespiratory pathways, the Glycerate and the Phosphorylated pathways. The Phosphorylated Pathway of Serine Biosynthesis (PPSB) has been known since the 1950s, but has been studied relatively little, probably because it was considered of minor significance as compared with the Glycolate pathway. In the associated study1, we described for the first time in plants the in vivo functional characterization of the PPSB, by targeting the phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP1), the last enzyme of the pathway. Following a gain- and loss-of-function approach in Arabidopsis, we provided genetic and molecular evidence for the essential role of PSP1 for embryo and pollen development, and for proper root growth. A metabolomics study indicated that the PPSB affects glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the biosynthesis of several amino acids, which suggests that this pathway is an important link connecting metabolism and development. The mechanisms underlying the essential functions of PSP1 are discussed.
Commentary: bioavailability of flavonoids and polyphenols: call to arms.

Dietary polyphenols (Fig. 1) are a main source of antioxidants for humans1. These polyphenols have a variety of biological activities, ranging from anti-ageing, anticancer, to lowering of blood cholesterol level and improving bone strength1–6. Millions of women also take a subclass of polyphenols called phytoestrogens to relieve symptoms associated with menopause7, 8.
Thermophilic Methanogenesis in a HotSpring Algal-Bacterial Mat ( 71 to 30 ° C )

Algal-bacterial mats which grow in the effluent channels of alkaline hot springs provided an environment suitable for studying natural thermophilic methaneproducing bacteria. Methane was rapidly produced in cores taken from the mat and appeared to be an end product of decomposition of the algal-bacterial organic matter. Formaldehyde prevented production of methane. Initial methanogenic rate was lower and methanogenesis became exponential when samples were permitted to cool before laboratory incubation. Methanogenesis occurred and methanogenic bacteria were present over a range of 68 to 300C, with optimum methanogenesis near 450C. The temperature distribution of methanogenesis in the mat is discussed relative to published results on standing crop, primary production, and decomposition in the thermal gradient. The depth distribution of methanogenesis was similar to that offreshwater sediments, with a zone of intense methanogenesis near the mat surface. Methanogenesis in deeper mat layers was very low or undetectable despite large numbers of viable methanogenic bacteria and could not be stimulated by addition of anoxic source water, sulfide, or a macronutrient solution.
Serum hepatitis B surface antigen correlates with tissue covalently closed circular DNA in patients with hepatitis B‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Quantitation of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in hepatitis B‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV‐HCC) remains to be clearly defined. This study aims to determine the association of HBsAg quantity with intrahepatic HBV viral load and activity in both tumor and non‐neoplastic liver of HBV‐HCC patients. Data were obtained from 89 prospectively enrolled patients treated with primary liver resection for HBV‐HCC at a single Western institution (2008–2013). Circulating HBsAg was quantitated using ELISA. HBV DNA, covalently closed circular (cccDNA) and precore‐pregenomic RNA (preC‐pgRNA) in both tumor and non‐neoplastic liver were quantitated by real‐time PCR from fresh liver resection specimens. Circulating HBsAg was detectable in all 89 patients. HBsAg negatively correlated with age, and positively correlated with pre‐operative serum AFP and ALT levels. HBsAg correlated with HBV cccDNA copy number in tumor or non‐neoplastic liver tissue. It also correlated with preC‐pgRNA copy number in non‐neoplastic liver tissue. HBsAg did not correlate with serum HBV DNA, total intrahepatic HBV DNA, viral replicative activity or transcriptional activity. In HBV‐HCC patients, HBsAg levels correlated with cccDNA copy number in tumor or non‐neoplastic liver tissue, suggesting that a greater pool of cccDNA is associated with a higher rate of HBsAg production. J. Med. Virol. 88:244–251, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Residential exposure to power frequency magnetic field and sleep disorders among women in an urban community of northern Taiwan.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate relationships between residential exposure to power frequency magnetic field and sleep initiation and maintenance disorders (SIAMD). DESIGN A cross-sectional design conducted in an urban town of northern Taiwan in 1995-1996. SETTING/PATIENTS A total of 5,078 married women aged 20-59. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS The residential magnetic field intensity was assessed using EMDEX II dosimeters. Trained interviewees collected self-reported information on SIAMD and other covariates. Three type-specific SIAMD were analyzed for associations with background, bedroom, and overall residential exposures. RESULTS The prevalence rates of difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), and early morning awakening (EMA) were 29.5%, 38.17%, and 26.02%, respectively. The DIS prevalence was significantly associated with bedroom magnetic field exposure of 2 miliGauss (mG) (odds ratio (OR)=1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.02-1.40). The DMS prevalence was significantly higher for women with background exposure of 2 mG (OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.04-1.56). An elevated EMA prevalence was also significantly associated with all of the three exposure measures with excess risks ranging from 28% for overall exposure to 65% for background exposure. When magnetic field strength was analyzed as a continuous variable, background exposure, but not overall or bedroom exposure, showed a small but significant association with DMS and EMA (OR=1.05 per 1 mG increase, 95% CI=1.02-1.09). CONCLUSIONS There is a modest association between residential exposures to elevated magnetic field intensity and insomnia complaints in women.
Health Perceptions and Levels of Attachment: Owners and Pets Exercising Together

Background: Obesity is a parallel problem in canine and human populations. We describe health perceptions and levels of companion animal attachment in a cohort of dog owners. Methods: As part of a larger trial examining the impact of veterinary counseling on activity levels of dog owners and their pets, owners presenting to a veterinary referral center were asked to self-report perceived levels of health and attachment to their dog (Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale). Owner body mass index and the body conditioning score of the companion dog were also recorded. Results: Heavier pet owners reported a greater sense of attachment to their dogs. Heavier owners also reported lower perceived health and less social support. Conclusions: Increasing body mass index is associated with higher pet attachment, lower perceived health, and less social support. This information can impact wellness counseling for overweight pet owners and canine companions.
Differential Rearing Alters Spine Density on Medium-Sized Spiny Neurons in the Rat Corpus Striatum: Evidence for Association of Morphological Plasticity with Early Response Gene Expression

Morphological plasticity of medium-sized spiny neurons of the striatum was examined in Long-Evans hooded rats reared in complex or individual cage environments. Rat pups, aged 28-32 days, were housed either individually in standard laboratory cages or as a group in a large toy- and object-filled environment for 30 days. The spine density on dendrites of medium-sized spiny neurons in the dorsolateral striatum was then examined using the Golgi-Cox method. Rats reared in the complex environment displayed an increase of approximately 30% in spine density relative to those reared individually. These results demonstrate experience-dependent changes in neural structure in the striatum and suggest that the mechanisms for information storage in response to experience may be more widespread in the forebrain than previously believed.
$H_\infty$ Filtering of Discrete-Time Switched Systems With State Delays via Switched Lyapunov Function Approach

In this note, the problem of Hinfin filtering for a class of discrete-time switched systems with state delays is investigated. Attention is focused on the design of a stable filter guaranteeing a prescribed noise attenuation level in the Hinfin sense. By using switched Lyapunov functionals, sufficient conditions for the solvability of this problem are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), by solving which a desired Hinfin filter can be constructed. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Flow: Architecture and Benchmarking for Reinforcement Learning in Traffic Control

Flow is a new computational framework, built to support a key need triggered by the rapid growth of autonomy in ground traffic: controllers for autonomous vehicles in the presence of complex nonlinear dynamics in traffic. Leveraging recent advances in deep Reinforcement Learning (RL), Flow enables the use of RL methods such as policy gradient for traffic control and enables benchmarking the performance of classical (including hand-designed) controllers with learned policies (control laws). Flow integrates traffic microsimulator SUMO with deep reinforcement learning library rllab and enables the easy design of traffic tasks, including different networks configurations and vehicle dynamics. We use Flow to develop reliable controllers for complex problems, such as controlling mixed-autonomy traffic (involving both autonomous and human-driven vehicles) in a ring road. For this, we first show that state-of-the-art hand-designed controllers excel when in-distribution, but fail to generalize; then, we show that even simple neural network policies can solve the stabilization task across density settings and generalize to out-of-distribution settings.
An observer-blinded study of 1% permethrin creme rinse with and without adjunctive combing in patients with head lice.

OBJECTIVES To determine if NIX (Warner Lambert Healthcare, Morris Plains, NJ) 1% Permethrin Creme Rinse Lice Treatment (1% PLT) without combing will effectively treat >/=95% of patients on day 2 or on day 15; to determine whether combing influences efficacy. STUDY DESIGN A randomized, observer-blinded study enrolled 95 infested adults and children. All patients were treated with 1% PLT on day 1 and, if still infested, on day 8. One third of households were randomized to the combing group and two thirds to the no-combing group. Efficacy was assessed by: (1) visual inspection on days 1, 2, 8, 9, and 15 and, (2) shampooing/straining on days 2, 9, and 15. The target efficacy was 95%. RESULTS In the no-combing group, the lice-free rate was 83.1% on day 2 (95% CI, 71.0-91.6), 45.8% on day 8 (before second treatment) (95% CI, 32.7-59.2), 77.6% on day 9 (95% CI, 64.7-87.5), and 78.3% on day 15 (95% CI, 65.8-87.9). Adjunctive combing did not improve efficacy on any day. CONCLUSIONS In this population, 1% PLT was significantly less than 95% effective and suggests resistance to 1% PLT. The failure of nit removal combing by nonprofessional caregivers to improve efficacy demonstrates the unreliability of combing as adjunctive treatment in this setting.
GP Clinic: promoting access to primary health care for mental health service clients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate an innovative rural service offering comprehensive primary health care for mental health service clients. DESIGN A formative evaluation using mixed methods. SETTING A rural NSW community. PARTICIPANTS Fifteen health care providers and 120 adult clients. INTERVENTION A monthly clinic held in a general practice to provide primary health care for clients of the community mental health team. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Client utilisation and clinic activity data. Provider views of service effectiveness, possible improvements and sustainability. RESULTS The GP Clinic has operated successfully for 2.5 years without access block. Some 52% of clients had no physical illness and 82% were referred to other health and community services. In total, 40% continued to attend the clinic while 32% went on to consult a GP independently. Client access to care improved as did collaboration between the community mental health team and primary care providers. CONCLUSION The GP Clinic is a straightforward and flexible service model that could be used more widely.
Gamma knife radiosurgery for prolactinomas.

OBJECT In this retrospective investigation the authors examined the results of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for tumor remnants after unsuccessful open surgery and medical treatment in 20 patients with prolactinomas. Particular attention is paid to a possible radioprotective action of dopamine agonists similar to the action of octreotide in acromegaly. METHODS Twenty patients with prolactinomas were followed after GKS. Five patients were treated successfully; their prolactin (PRL) levels dropped into the normal range and dopaminergic drugs could be discontinued. Two spontaneous pregnancies were observed and 11 patients experienced improvement. Improvement was defined as normal PRL levels with the continued possibility of reduced medical treatment or a substantially reduced medical treatment dose with some degree of hyperprolactinemia maintained. The treatment failed in three patients who experienced no improvement. Patients treated with dopaminergic drugs during GKS did significantly less well in comparison with the untreated group when a cumulative distribution function (Kaplan-Meier estimate) was used. CONCLUSIONS The results of GKS for prolactinomas in this investigation are better than the results published by others. This may be an effect of case selection because there were no "salvage cases" in our group of patients. Because a dopamine agonist seemed to induce radioprotection in this series, it is suggested that GKS be performed during an intermission in drug therapy when the dopamine agonist is discontinued.
Hagiography and Monotheism in History: Doctrinal encounters between Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity 1

Issues of hagiography and monotheism were central to the historical development of Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity (and subsequently Islam). Overlapping geo graphical locales and cultural heritages, especially during the rule of ancient Iranian dynasties and within Iranian territory, seem to have facilitated and reinforced common solutions that linked devotees across confessional lines through shared communal notions and doctrinal tenets. The hagiographical lives and preachings of Zarathushtra, or Zoroaster, and biblical figures from Moses to Jesus consciously came to parallel each other ex post facto and were regarded as representing different aspects of monotheism. The Zoroastrian dualistic worldview did not exclude monotheism, although it did postulate a separate source of evil. Variations notwith standing, for members of each faith, the spiritual entity venerated by their founder was believed to be God--a condition acknowledged by the other confessional groups as well. Uniting a community of believers around themselves in the veneration of a singular deity eventually transformed Zarathushtra, Moses and Jesus (and later Muhammad) into prophets. Religious founders, the historically created and cross-culturally shaped images of such founders and an intercommunally emergent notion that their words represented communion with the divinity forged and strengthened the shared links between hagiography and monotheism among Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians and, in time, Muslims.
A Note on Appointment Scheduling with Piecewise Linear Cost Functions

We consider the problem of determining the optimal schedules for a given sequence of jobs on a single processor. The objective is to minimize the expected total cost incurred by job waiting and processor idling, where the job processing times are random variables. It is known in the prior literature that if the processing times are integers and the costs are linear functions satisfying a mild condition, then the problem can be solved in a polynomial number of expected cost evaluations. In this work, we extend the result to piecewise linear cost functions, which include many useful objective functions in practice. Our analysis explores the (hidden) dual network flow structure of the appointment scheduling problem and thus greatly simplifies that of prior work. We also find the number of samples needed to compute a near optimal solution when only some independent samples of processing times are known.