Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seismic Earth Pressures: Fact or Fiction

The current state of practice in the United States as implemented in the International Building Code now requires that structures with subterranean walls be designed for seismic earth pressures in addition to the normal static earth pressures. Since many design issues in the building code are introduced because of observed failure or deficiencies during earthquakes, the requirement to design for seismic earth pressures is peculiar because there is little or no evidence that any failures in engineered subterranean structures have occurred in past or even recent earthquakes. This paper examines how seismic earth pressures entered into the design practice and reviews some of the methodologies used to estimate seismic earth pressures in current engineering practice in the United States.
Controlled Deposition of Nanostructured Hierarchical TiO2 Thin Films by Low Pressure Supersonic Plasma Jets

Plasma-assisted supersonic jet deposition (PA-SJD) is a precise technique for the fabrication of thin films with a desired nanostructured morphology. In this work, we used quadrupole mass spectrometry of the neutral species in the jet and the extensive characterization of TiO2 films to improve our understanding of the relationship between jet chemistry and film properties. To do this, an organo–metallic precursor (titanium tetra–isopropoxide or TTIP) was first dissociated using a reactive argon–oxygen plasma in a vacuum chamber and then delivered into a second, lower pressure chamber through a nozzle. The pressure difference between the two chambers generated a supersonic jet carrying nanoparticles of TiO2 in the second chamber, and these were deposited onto the surface of a substrate located few centimeters away from the nozzle. The nucleation/aggregation of the jet nanoparticles could be accurately tuned by a suitable choice of control parameters in order to produce the required structures. We demonstrate that high-quality films of up to several µm in thickness and covering a surface area of few cm2 can be effectively produced using this PA-SJD technique.
Vaccine Candidate Double Mutant Variants of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Heat-Stable Toxin

Heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) producing enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are among the top four enteropathogens associated with moderate-to-severe diarrhea in children under five years in low-to-middle income countries, thus making ST a target for an ETEC vaccine. However, ST must be mutated to abolish its enterotoxicity and to prevent a potential immunological cross-reaction due to its structural resemblance to the human peptides uroguanylin and guanylin. To reduce the risk of eliciting cross-reacting antibodies with our lead STh-A14T toxoid, L9 was chosen as an additional mutational target. A double mutant vaccine candidate immunogen, STh-L9A/A14T, was constructed by conjugation to the synthetic virus-like mi3 nanoparticle using the SpyTag/SpyCatcher technology. This immunogen elicited STh neutralizing antibodies in mice, but with less consistency than STh-A14T peptide control immunogens. Moreover, individual sera from mice immunized with both single and double mutant variants displayed varying levels of unwanted cross-reacting antibodies. The lowest levels of cross-reacting antibodies were observed with STh-L9K/A14T control immunogens, suggesting that it is indeed possible to reduce the risk of eliciting cross-reacting antibodies by mutation. However, mutant-specific antibodies were observed for most double mutant immunogens, demonstrating the delicate balancing act between disrupting cross-reacting epitopes, keeping protective ones, and avoiding the formation of neoepitopes.
Do Breast Cancer Patients Manage to Participate in an Outdoor, Tailored, Physical Activity Program during Adjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment, Independent of Health and Socio-Demographic Characteristics?

Exercise could reduce the side-effects of adjuvant breast cancer treatment; however, socio-demographic, health, and intervention conditions may affect patients’ adherence to interventions. This study aimed to examine adherence to a 12-month outdoor post-surgery exercise program among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, and to identify socio-demographic and health-related predictors. In total, 47 women with invasive breast cancer stage I–II or ductal/lobular carcinoma grade 3 were included pre-surgery and randomized two weeks post-surgery to exercise (2 × 60 min/week). Patient characteristics (body-mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status, comorbidity, physical activity, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max)) were recorded pre-surgery. Correlations between adherence and patient characteristics and statistics for between-group differences were performed. The mean age was 54.2 years, mean BMI 27.8 kg/m2, and 54.2% received chemotherapy. Completers had a mean adherence of 81%, independent of season. Withdrawals (23%) occurred after a mean of 6.5 weeks (0–24 weeks), they were suggestively older, had lower socioeconomic status and pre-surgery VO2max, and higher BMI. Household income was significantly lower among withdrawals. There were insignificant correlations between adherence and health conditions. High adherence is achievable in a Nordic outdoor physical exercise program in breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, including chemotherapy. Additional studies are needed to clarify follow-up needs in some groups.
Plasma Proteomic Changes of Atherosclerosis after Exercise in ApoE Knockout Mice

Simple Summary A proteomic approach was applied to investigate the molecular mechanism of exercise on atherosclerosis. The MYOCD, PROS1, C2, SERPINA10, CRP, F5, C5, CFB, FGG, CFH, F12, PRDX2, PROZ, PPIA, and HABP2 levels associated with cardiovascular disease induced by a Western diet (WD) were significantly decreased by exercise intervention. Furthermore, the downregulation of complement factor C5 expression in the aortic root results in a decrease in macrophage infiltration of cholesterol-driven plaques. Therefore, exercise can help mitigate the atherosclerosis by ameliorating complement system activation and inflammatory responses in the aorta. Abstract Atherosclerosis is the preliminary cause of coronary artery disease, one of the diseases that account for the largest number of fatal mortalities. Physical activity is an effective strategy to restrain atherosclerosis from deterioration. Evidence indicated that changes in the proteomic profile are highly associated with atherosclerosis development, but the mechanism behind exercise for atherosclerosis amelioration has not yet been investigated from a proteomics perspective. Hence, the proteomic profiles could further elucidate the systematic effects of exercise intervention on ApoE knockout atherosclerotic model and high-fat-diet intervention. In the current study, Apoeem1Narl/Narl mice were randomly allocated into a normal diet (ND), Western diet (WD), and WD with 12-week exercise intervention (WD EX) groups. The plasma proteome between WD and WD EX groups demonstrate the significant difference, and ten major pathways, including cardiovascular disease (CVD)–hematological disease, inflammatory disease, infectious diseases, inflammatory response, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, connective tissue disorders_inflammatory disease, metabolic disease_organismal injury and abnormalities, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, connective tissue disorders_inflammatory disease, and endocrine system disorders_gastrointestinal disease, etc., were generated by the IPA analysis. The 15 proteins (MYOCD, PROS1, C2, SERPINA10, CRP, F5, C5, CFB, FGG, CFH, F12, PRDX2, PROZ, PPIA, and HABP2) critically involved in CVD–hematological disease pathway showed significant difference between WD and WD EX groups. In current study, exercise could significantly alleviate the significantly elevated C5 and inflammation induced by the WD group in accordance with amelioration of atherosclerosis. Therefore, exercise could mitigate chemotaxis through the modulation of the C5 level and innate immunity, thereby alleviating the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in Western-diet-induced obese mice.
An annotated checklist of the Iranian Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata), with an updated key to the species

Abstract A checklist of the Iranian Phytoseiidae, including 103 species belonging to 15 genera and three subfamilies, is presented. Among them, Typhlodromus Scheuten (31 species) and Neoseiulus Hughes (21 species) are the most specious genera. The checklist is annotated with some corrections to specific identities and known geographical and habitat distributions in Iran. An identification key to the reported phytoseiids from Iran is also provided. Finally, a list of invalid species reported from Iran is presented.
Influence of the Metabolism on Myeloid Cell Functions in Cancers: Clinical Perspectives

Tumor metabolism plays a crucial role in sustaining tumorigenesis. There have been increasing reports regarding the role of tumor metabolism in the control of immune cell functions, generating a potent immunosuppressive contexture that can lead to immune escape. The metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells and the immune escape are two major hallmarks of cancer, with several instances of crosstalk between them. In this paper, we review the effects of tumor metabolism on immune cells, focusing on myeloid cells due to their important role in tumorigenesis and immunosuppression from the early stages of the disease. We also discuss ways to target this specific crosstalk in cancer patients.
DMSO and TMAO—Differences in Interactions in Aqueous Solutions of the K-Peptide

Interactions between a solvent and their co-solute molecules in solutions of peptides are crucial for their stability and structure. The K-peptide is a synthetic fragment of a larger hen egg white lysozyme protein that is believed to be able to aggregate into amyloid structures. In this study, a complex experimental and theoretical approach is applied to study systems comprising the peptide, water, and two co-solutes: trimethylamide N-oxide (TMAO) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Information about their interactions in solutions and on the stability of the K-peptide was obtained by FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning microcalorimetry. The IR spectra of various osmolyte–water–model-peptide complexes were simulated with the DFT method (B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)). The FTIR results indicate that both solutes are neutral for the K-peptide in solution. Both co-solutes affect the peptide to different degrees, as seen in the shape of its amide I band, and have different influences on its thermal stability. DFT calculations helped simplify the experimental data for easier interpretation.
Development and validation of microsatellite markers for kikuyu grass using next generation sequencing technology

Abstract Context The kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus) is native to Africa and is one of the most widely used grasses for forage feeding in dairy regions around the world. Aims To obtain the first set of microsatellite markers for the population genetics study of kikuyu grass, using nextgeneration sequencing technology (Illumina MiSeq). Methods Sixty loci were evaluated, in which a subset of 12 loci were selected to be used for a complete population analysis in 108 samples of kikuyu, and were grouped in to three zones of Colombia. The three approaches with which the genetic structure was evaluated. Key results Obtained same tendency of grouping reflects a low genetic differentiation, specifically evidencing differences between the northern zone of Antioquia and the zones that comprise the other territories of Colombia. Conclusions These reads of microsatellite loci help to complement the information on the genetic structure of the populations of the kikuyu, and will be useful for the characterisation and evaluation of the diversity of germplasm in other parts of the world. Implications The set of microsatellite markers developed has a species-specific reproducibility and could be used for studies in other Cenchrus individuals and particularly in future investigations with Kikuyu grass. Likewise, this research presents findings in a broad context and relates them to other pasture species.
Evaluation of coupled finite element/meshfree method for a robust full-scale crashworthiness simulation of railway vehicles

The crashworthiness of a railway vehicle relates to its passive safety performance. Due to mesh distortion and difficulty in controlling the hourglass energy, conventional finite element methods face great challenges in crashworthiness simulation of large-scale complex railway vehicle models. Meshfree methods such as element-free Galerkin method offer an alternative approach to overcome those limitations but have proved time-consuming. In this article, a coupled finite element/meshfree method is proposed to study the crashworthiness of railway vehicles. A representative scenario, in which the leading vehicle of a high-speed train impacts to a rigid wall, is simulated with the coupled finite element/element-free Galerkin method in LS-DYNA. We have compared the conventional finite element method and the coupled finite element/element-free Galerkin method with the simulation results of different levels of discretization. Our work showed that coupled finite element/element-free Galerkin method is a suitable alternative of finite element method to handle the nonlinear deformation in full-size railway vehicle crashworthiness simulation. The coupled method can reduce the hourglass energy in finite element simulation, to produce robust simulation.
Reading in Children Who Survived Cerebellar Tumors: Evidence from Eye Movements

Cerebellar tumors often affect the eye movement centers located in vermis, negatively affecting cognitive development and learning abilities in children. Previous research has established that patients who survived cerebellar tumors tend to demonstrate various saccadic impairments (e.g., hypermetria) and poor gaze stability as compared to healthy controls. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the influence of oculomotor deficits in such patients on reading parameters. A total of 112 children (8–17 y.o.), 65 of whom survived cerebellar tumors, participated in the study. The study design included several oculomotor and reading tasks. Eye movements were recorded every 1/60 s monocularly with an Arrington eye tracker. We observed profound reading impairments in the patients as compared to healthy children, including longer reading time, greater numbers of fixations and regressive saccades, and longer fixation durations. We also found significant correlations between changes in basic oculomotor functions and reading parameters. The patients also demonstrated gaze fixation instability, large number of fixations, and long scanpath reflecting the return of the gaze to the already counted objects. Thus, oculomotor changes caused by cerebellar tumor and its treatment led to disturbances in such neurocognitive activity as reading. Our findings emphasize the necessity of considering these deficits in cerebellar tumor survivors when designing rehabilitation protocols.
Evaluating Stan’s Variational Bayes Algorithm for Estimating Multidimensional IRT Models

Bayesian estimation of multidimensional item response theory (IRT) models in large data sets may come with impractical computational burdens when general-purpose Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samplers are employed. Variational Bayes (VB)—a method for approximating the posterior distribution—poses a potential remedy. Stan’s general-purpose VB algorithms have drastically improved the accessibility of VB methods for a wide psychometric audience. Using marginal maximum likelihood (MML) and MCMC as benchmarks, the present simulation study investigates the utility of Stan’s built-in VB function for estimating multidimensional IRT models with between-item dimensionality. VB yielded a marked speed-up in comparison to MCMC, but did not generally outperform MML in terms of run time. VB estimates were trustworthy only for item difficulties, while bias in item discriminations depended on the model’s dimensionality. Under realistic conditions of non-zero correlations between dimensions, VB correlation estimates were subject to severe bias. The practical relevance of performance differences is illustrated with data from PISA 2018. We conclude that in its current form, Stan’s built-in VB algorithm does not pose a viable alternative for estimating multidimensional IRT models.
Job insecurity and employee performance: examining different types of performance, rating sources and levels

ABSTRACT We examine the relationship between job insecurity (JI) and performance (i.e., adaptivity, proactivity, task performance) from a multilevel perspective. We suggest that different behavioural responses will be triggered depending on whether the JI refers to an employee’s relative JI within a team or a team’s collective JI. An individual employee’s relative JI within a team may evoke a withdrawal reaction (i.e., diminished performance) because the individual experiences the insecurity as a personal issue (one which does not affect the rest of the team as much; i.e., a “person-at-risk” situation). However, when JI is experienced as a collective phenomenon (one that affects the entire team as a whole because of the shared context, i.e., a “job-at-risk” situation), employees may demonstrate higher performance as they are driven by job preservation motives. We incorporated both individual employee and supervisor ratings as they have complementary value in evaluating performance. Data was obtained from 53 teams, including 403 employees and 53 supervisors. Team’s collective JI was associated with higher supervisor-rated performance at the team-level, both in terms of adaptivity and proactivity but not in terms of task performance. The employee’s relative JI within a team was associated with reduced self-rated performance in terms of both adaptivity and task performance.
Impact Of Eating Habits And Physical Activity On The Fertility Of Females

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the eating habits and the level of activity in fertile and infertile female subjects. Methods: This cross-sectional study was designed to compare the eating habits and level of activity in fertile and infertile female subjects from February 2016 till October 2017. Fertile females (n= 207) and diagnosed infertile (infertile, n=135) between 18 – 40 years were enrolled. Guidelines for the diagnosis of the infertile cohort were the failure to conceive after 12 months of regular and non-contraception intercourse, with normal uterine structure. Questionnaire was used to collect information regarding nutrition and physical activity. Statistical analysis was carried out employing IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The categorical variables were presented as frequency and percentages, Chi-square test was performed for comparison, p value < 0.05 considered significant. Results: With mean age of 31 ± 6 years and mean BMI of 24.6 ± 3.46 kg/m2, infertile females had a significantly high BMI compared with the fertile females. Physical activity of subjects demonstrated that 30.4% were inactive, while 27.2% were physically active. Infertile females (6.5%) did regular exercise however, 44.9% of the fertile females had healthy lifestyle. Females (51%) took meals 3 times a day. Healthy food consumption was once a week while 35% had consumption of fast food was approximately twice a week. Conclusion: Optimal physical activity and BMI in normal range is positively associated with fertility. Dietary habits such as more intake of fish, fruits and vegetables impacts fertility positively.
Growth and Antioxidant Responses of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Inoculation and Seaweed Extract Foliar Application

Biofertilizers, such as arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) and seaweed extract (SWE), have been effective in environmental and agricultural ecosystems. In this study, the effects of AMF, SWE, and their co-application were assayed on the growth and antioxidant potential of lettuce plants. The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with two factors and four replications under greenhouse conditions. The first factor was AMF (Glomus mosseae) at two levels consisting of AMF application (20 g pot−1), and without using AMF; and the second factor was SWE foliar spraying (Ascophyllum nodosum) at 0.5, 1.5 and 3 g L−1 concentration. The results revealed that the highest root colonization (85%) belonged to AMF and SWE (3 g L−1) × AMF; the lowest colonization rate (65%) was observed for AMF × SWE (0.5 g L−1) treatment. The highest growth parameters (leaf number, shoot and root fresh weight, head diameter), biochemical traits (total soluble proteins, carbohydrates content) and TAA, total antioxidant activity by FRAP method and ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and flavonoids content were obtained with the co-applications. Therefore, the best results of the evaluated traits were achieved with AMF × SWE (3 g L−1). The TAA value was increased three-fold compared to the control. Total phenolics and flavonoids content were 2.24 and 6.59 times higher than the control, respectively. On the other hand, leaf dry weight was decreased with the further growth of the plants. Overall, the co-application of AMF with SWE can be recommended to producers as an alternative and environment-friendly strategy to improve the qualitative and quantitative traits of the lettuce crop.
Relationship between atherogenic index of plasma and stent thrombosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Objective Stent thrombosis (ST) is an uncommon but serious complication in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study aimed to investigate the effect of atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) on ST. Methods Among the 10,258 patients who underwent coronary angiography between January 2018 and December 2020, 239 patients who underwent PCI with the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) due to ST were included as the study group (ST group) and 459 patients who underwent percutaneous intervention for ACS and did not have any in-stent lesion as the control group (non-ST group). ST classification was done according to the Academic Research Consortium definition. Results The mean age of the patients was 63.3±10.6 years (483 male, 69.2%). The groups were similar in terms of characteristic properties, comorbidities, and the drugs being used (p>0.05 for all). Drug eluting stents were used in 86.5% of the patients. In the ST group, the median time from stent implantation to thrombosis was 285 days. Mean AIP and the ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) were statistically significantly higher in the ST group than in the controls (p<0.001 and p=0.018, respectively), and a positive correlation was observed between time from stent implantation to thrombosis and AIP and TG/HDL-C (rS=0.229, p=0.010 and rS=0.222, p=0.010, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that stent length, prior ST elevation myocardial infarction, TG/HDL-C, and AIP were independent predictors of ST. Conclusion AIP is an easy calculable biomarker, and the performance of AIP to predict ST is better than TG/HDL-C.
Low velocity impact behavior analysis of sandwich beam used in ship structures

The low-velocity impact behavior of sandwich beam subjected to the cylindrical impactor is investigated numerically. Finite element software ABAQUS is used, and maximum stress failure criterion and a modified stiffness degradation method are adopted to analyze the failure behavior of sandwich beam, including initiation of failure, and failure modes. The two failure modes ; shear cracks in foam (Mode I), and crushed in core and damage in the top face sheets right underneath the impactor (Mode II) can be simulated well. At the range of impact velocity on this study, it can be shown that the the dynamic responses of sandwich beam are nearly quasi-static, therefore, the dynamic behavior of sandwich beam such as impact force history can be approximately obtained from static results.