Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Cryogenic Conditions on the Process of AA2519 Aluminum Alloy Cracking

This study presents the results of tests involving determining quantities used to describe fracture toughness of a heat-treated AA2519 aluminum alloy applied in, among other things, constructing American military amphibians. These quantities were determined using the J–R curve method for two temperature values, 293 K and 77 K. The low temperature was provided by putting the tested specimen into a liquid nitrogen bath and keeping it there throughout the experiment. Based on the tests results, cryogenic conditions cause an increase in the maximum experimental value of the J–JQ integral, from 66.3 to 87.3 kJ/m2 Moreover, an analysis of the fatigue fracture microstructure revealed differences between specimens tested in ambient temperature and those tested in cryogenic temperature.
Comparison of antimicrobial resistances and clinical features in community-onset Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia

Background/Aims The aim of this study was to compare antimicrobial resistance, clinical features, and outcomes of community-onset Escherichia coli (COEC) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (COKP) bacteremia. Methods The medical records of patients diagnosed with E. coli or K. pneumoniae bacteremia in the emergency department of a 750-bed secondary care hospital in Daegu, Korea from January 2010 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Results A total of 866 patients with COEC bacteremia and 299 with COKP bacteremia were enrolled. COEC bacteremia, compared to COKP bacteremia, had higher rates of 3rd generation cephalosporin (3GC) (18.8% vs. 8.4%, p < 0.001) and f luoroquinolone (FQ) (30.4% vs. 8.0%, p < 0.001) resistance. The patients with COKP bacteremia had higher Charlson comorbidity indices (CCI) (1.8 ± 2.0 vs. 1.5 ± 1.8, p = 0.035), Pittsburgh bacteremia scores (PBS) (2.0 ± 2.6 vs. 1.3 ± 1.8, p < 0.001), and 30-day mortality (14.44% vs. 8.8%, p = 0.008) than the patients with COEC bacteremia. Age younger than 70 years, male sex, polymicrobial infections, pneumonia, intra-abdominal infection, PBS ≥ 2, and Foley catheter insertion were independent predictive factors for COKP bacteremia compared to COEC bacteremia in the multivariate analysis. CCI, PBS, and intensive care unit admission were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions 3GCs and FQs are still useful for the empirical treatment of patients with probable COKP bacteremia. The patients with COKP bacteremia had worse outcomes because of its greater severity and more frequent underlying comorbidities.
Tiered intake assessment for food colours

ABSTRACT A tiered intake assessment approach, ranging from the conservative default and refined budget method to refined dietary exposure assessments using national food consumption surveys is presented and applied to derive maximum potential global colour intake estimates. The US and UK markets served as representative for the world and the EU, respectively, to determine the maximum potential exposure ceilings for eleven colours in various sub-populations, including brand-loyal consumers. Industry-reported global use levels were assigned as the maximum level. Conservative intake assessments for food colours used in non-alcoholic beverages were estimated for the general population 2 + y, toddlers, children 3–9 y, adolescents 10–17 y, adults 18–64 y, elderly 65–74 y, very elderly 75 + y based on assumed uses in high intake markets. Refined dietary exposures were estimated using either the 2-day food consumption data from the 2013–2016 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey or the 4-day food consumption data from the 2008–2016 U.K. National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme. In the most refined market-share adjusted assessment, brand-specific market volume data were used to place appropriate weight on corresponding beverage type uses. Strong concordance between the refined budget method and the brand-loyal deterministic approach was shown, in which the latter assumes that the maximum use level of the colour is present in 100% of non-alcoholic beverages. This study shows that safety of colours – both synthetic and natural – in beverages at proposed use levels can be supported for any geography, with all intake estimates falling below the acceptable daily intake in refined assessments. Importantly, this study demonstrates that the refined budget method is a valid first-tier screening assessment to prioritise food colours that may benefit from more refined intake assessments when warranted.
PHARMACOKINETIC AND PHARMACOLOGIC STUDY OF TWO P-GLYCOPROTEIN MODULATING AGENTS COMBINED WITH DOXORUBICIN

Overexpression of the transmembrane drug efflux pump p-glycoprotein (p-gp) is one of the major mechanisms by which cancer cells develop multidrug resistance (MDR) against anticancer drugs including doxorubicin. Objectives: This study was carried out to assess the possible effects of two p-gp modulating agents, verapamil and tamoxifen on cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC), the probable mechanism(s) underlying the possible interaction between verapamil and tamoxifen with doxorubicin was investigated. Methods: To achieve these objects the study was divided into two parts, in vivo study which was carried out on swiss albino mice and in which the following parameters were determined: Time course effect of verapamil (5mg/kg) and tamoxifen (1mg/kg) on doxorubicin (10mg/kg) concentration in Solid Ehrlich Carcinoma (SEC) and semi quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of multiple drug resistance gene. The in vitro study is the second part, it was carried out on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells and in which evaluation of doxorubicin cytotoxic activity in the presence and absence of verapamil and tamoxifen and detection of p-glycoprotein activity on Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) using rhodamine 123 uptake and efflux techniques were investigated. In both in vivo and in vitro studies groups were classified into: group1 (saline), group2 (ethanol), group3 (doxorubicin), group4 (verapamil), group5 (tamoxifen), group6 (a combination of doxorubicin and verapamil) and group7 (a combination of doxorubicin and tamoxifen). Results and Conclusions: It was found that both verapamil and tamoxifen caused a significant increase in doxorubicin cytotoxicity in EAC The modulatory effect of both verapamil and tamoxifen on doxorubicin cytotoxicity was due to the ability of both verapamil and tamoxifen to cause a significant increase in doxorubicin intracellular concentration in SEC. Increased sensitivity of cancer cells to doxorubicin caused by verapamil and tamoxifen was explained on the basis of inhibition of p-gp function. The mechanism by which verapamil caused an inhibition of p-gp transport activity involves downregulation of mdr1a gene expression in EAC cells. On the other hand tamoxifen inhibited p-gp transport activity via a mechanism independent on mdr1a gene expression.
Dynamic human and avatar facial expressions elicit differential brain responses

Abstract Computer-generated characters, so-called avatars, are widely used in advertising, entertainment, human–computer interaction or as research tools to investigate human emotion perception. However, brain responses to avatar and human faces have scarcely been studied to date. As such, it remains unclear whether dynamic facial expressions of avatars evoke different brain responses than dynamic facial expressions of humans. In this study, we designed anthropomorphic avatars animated with motion tracking and tested whether the human brain processes fearful and neutral expressions in human and avatar faces differently. Our fMRI results showed that fearful human expressions evoked stronger responses than fearful avatar expressions in the ventral anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, the anterior insula, the anterior and posterior superior temporal sulcus, and the inferior frontal gyrus. Fearful expressions in human and avatar faces evoked similar responses in the amygdala. We did not find different responses to neutral human and avatar expressions. Our results highlight differences, but also similarities in the processing of fearful human expressions and fearful avatar expressions even if they are designed to be highly anthropomorphic and animated with motion tracking. This has important consequences for research using dynamic avatars, especially when processes are investigated that involve cortical and subcortical regions.
Question design for demographic events.

This chapter examines World Fertility Survey (WFS) practice in the questions and techniques for measurement of the main demographic events covered by these fertility surveys: 1) age in the household and individual surveys 2) the retrospective birth or pregnancy history and 3) nuptiality both current and past. While greater field efforts will generally bring better results a fundamental limitation should not be forgotten; dates of events can only be reported if they are known. Although usable histories of births and marriages have proved to be possible to collect the range in completeness of date reporting among countries must be borne in mind in any analysis. In obtaining age it is clear that the low quality of household data is partially due to the insufficient emphasis placed on designing the relevant questions as compared to the individual survey. The following recommendations are made although it is recognized that their relevance and feasibility will depend on the particular circumstances of each country. 1) More effort should be spent on obtaining a good estimate of age in the household interview preferably for all members but at least for women aged 10-55 who could be in the eligibility range. 2) Biases in the selection of individual respondents from the household interview are common. 3) The use of the birth history should be continued where an in-depth survey is being carried out. 4) Probing on current and past marital status for all-women samples is highly recommended. 5) This chapter shows that experimental research is crucial if survey methodology in general and question design and content in particular are to be improved.
The lncRNA Gm15622 stimulates SREBP-1c expression and hepatic lipid accumulation by sponging the miR-742-3p in mice[S]

Excessive lipid deposition is a hallmark of NAFLD. Although much has been learned about the enzymes and metabolites involved in NAFLD, few studies have focused on the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in hepatic lipid accumulation. Here, using in vitro and in vivo models of NAFLD, we found that the lncRNA Gm15622 is highly expressed in the liver of obese mice fed a HFD and in murine liver (AML-12) cells treated with free fatty acids. Investigating the molecular mechanism in the liver-enriched expression of Gm15622 and its effects on lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and on NAFLD pathogenesis, we found that Gm15622 acts as a sponge for the microRNA miR-742-3p. This sponging activity increased the expression of the transcriptional regulator SREBP-1c and promoted lipid accumulation in the liver of the HFD mice and AML-12 cells. Moreover, further results indicated that metformin suppresses Gm15622 and alleviates NAFLD-associated lipid deposition in mice. In conclusion, we have identified an lncRNA Gm15622/miR-742-3p/SREBP-1c regulatory circuit associated with NAFLD in mice, a finding that significantly advances our insight into how lipid metabolism and accumulation are altered in this metabolic disorder. Our results also suggest that Gm15622 may be a potential therapeutic target for managing NAFLD.
Validating a heat stress model: The effects of an electric heat blanket and nutritional plane on lactating dairy cows.

The efficacy of an electric heat blanket (EHB) has previously been confirmed as an alternative method to evaluate heat stress (HS). However, a pair-feeding design has not been used with the EHB model. Therefore, study objectives were to determine the contribution of the nutritional plane to altered metabolism and productivity during EHB-induced HS. Multiparous Holstein cows (n = 18; 140 ± 10 d in milk) were subjected to 2 experimental periods (P); during P1 (4 d), cows were in thermoneutral conditions with ad libitum feed intake. During P2 (4 d), cows were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: (1) thermoneutral conditions and pair-fed (PF; n = 8) or (2) EHB-induced HS with ad libitum feed intake (n = 10). Overall, the EHB increased rectal temperature, vaginal temperature, skin temperature, and respiration rate (1.4°C, 1.3°C, 0.8°C, and 42 breaths/min, respectively) relative to PF cows. The EHB reduced dry matter intake (DMI; 47%) and, by design, PF cows had a similar pattern and extent of decreased DMI. Milk yield decreased in EHB and PF cows by 27.3% (12.1 kg) and 13.4% (5.4 kg), respectively, indicating that reduced DMI accounted for only ~50% of decreased milk synthesis. Milk fat content tended to increase (19%) in the EHB group, whereas in the PF cows it remained similar relative to P1. During P2, milk protein and lactose contents tended to decrease or decreased (1.3 and 2.2%, respectively) in both EHB and PF groups. Milk urea nitrogen remained unchanged in PF controls but increased (34.2%) in EHB cows relative to P1. The EHB decreased blood partial pressure of CO2, total CO2, HCO3, and base excess levels (17, 16, 17, and 81%, respectively) compared with those in PF cows. During P2, the EHB and PF cows had similar decreases (4%) in plasma glucose content, but no differences in circulating insulin were detected. However, a group by day interaction was detected for plasma nonesterified fatty acids; levels progressively increased in PF controls but remained unaltered in the EHB cows. Blood urea nitrogen increased in the EHB cows (61%) compared with the PF controls. In summary, utilizing the EHB model indicated that reduced nutrient intake explains only about 50% of the decrease in milk yield during HS, and the postabsorptive changes in nutrient partitioning are similar to those obtained in climate-controlled chamber studies. Consequently, the EHB is a reasonable and economically feasible model to study environmental physiology of dairy cows.
Influence of Addition of Different Nanoparticles on the Surface Properties of Poly(methylmethacrylate) Denture Base Material.

PURPOSE To evaluate and compare the surface properties (roughness and hardness) of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) denture base material modified with zirconium dioxide (ZNPs), silicon dioxide (SNPs), and diamond (DNPs) nanoparticles. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred sixty heat-polymerized acrylic resin discs (15 × 2mm) were prepared. ZNPs, SNPs, and DNPs were added in concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, and 5.0% by weight of acrylic powder. This yielded a total of 13 groups for each test according to filler type and concentration (n = 10/group). The control group was made of pure acrylic. A mechanical polisher was used to standardize specimens' surfaces before testing. A profilometer and Vickers hardness indenter were used to test the surface roughness and hardness respectively. ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests were used for data analysis (α = 0.05). RESULTS In comparison to control, results showed a non-significant increase in surface roughness (Ra) of acrylic material after the addition of 0.5% nanoparticles (ZNPs P = 0.168, SNPs P = 0.166 and DNPs P = 0.177), while a significant increase was seen with all other concentrations (P˂0.05). Ra values of ZNPs and DNPs groups were significantly higher than those of the SNPs group (P<0.001). The addition of any of the fillers to acrylic denture base materials significantly increased the hardness (P˂0.05), with ZNPs and DNPs having values lower than those of the SNPs group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Although nano-filler addition increased the hardness of denture base material, Ra was adversely affected when the concentration exceeded 0.5%. Therefore, 0.5% is suggested to be the most appropriate ratio to improve hardness with acceptable Ra. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Anthocyanin Induction by Drought Stress in the Calyx of Roselle Cultivars

Abiotic factors can alter the chemical profile of crops and the number of compounds they contain. In this study, the anthocyanin and anthocyanidin contents, determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC-MS/MS), and the colour attributes of the calyces of three cultivars of Hibiscus sabdariffa subjected to three water stress regimes during the stage of physiological maturity were investigated. The total anthocyanin content in calyx increased relative to the control content under a 65% moisture irrigation regime. Among the cultivars, UAN16-2 showed the greatest increases in the contents of cyanidin, delphinidin 3-O-glucoside, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, and cyanidin 3-O-sambubioside. The content of cyanidin 3-O-sambubioside showed the greatest increase, increasing by 55% relative to the control level. The contents of these compounds are correlated with colour attributes such as luminosity. Water stress under the 33% moisture condition during plant development led to decreased anthocyanin contents in all of the roselle cultivars.
Four novel compound heterozygous mutations in C5orf42 gene in patients with pure and mild Joubert syndrome

Joubert syndrome (JS) is a rare clinically and genetically heterogeneous disease. Using whole or targeted exome sequencing, we identified four novel compound heterozygous mutations in chromosome 5 open reading frame 42 gene (C5orf42), including c.2876C>T (missense mutation) and c.3921+1G>A (splicing mutation), c.2292 ‐2delA (splicing mutation) and c.4067C>T (missense mutation), c. 6997_6998insT (frameshift mutation) and c.8710C>T (nonsense mutation), c.3981G>C (nonsense mutation) and c.230 _233del (frameshift mutation), in four Chinese JS families. They were all inherited from their heterozygosis parents in the autosomal recessive inheritance mode. Pure JS clinical manifestations and mild neuroimaging findings were found in these patients. These verified the previous findings that C5orf42 mutations generally resulted in a purely neurological Joubert phenotype, and neuroimaging findings were mild in JS with C5orf42 mutations. Our report analyzed these C5orf42 mutations‐associated phenotypes and neuroimaging findings in JS and updated the genetic variation spectrum of JS caused by C5orf42.These will help clinicians and geneticists reach a more accurate diagnosis for JS.
Sirtuin modulators: where are we now? A review of patents from 2015 to 2019

ABSTRACT In recent years, sirtuins (SIRTs) gained an increasing consideration because of their multiple key roles in several biological settings such as the regulation of transcription, energetic metabolism, cell cycle progression, and cytodifferentiation, apoptosis, neuro- and cardio-protection, inflammation, cancer onset and progression. Since there is mounting evidence in favor of potential therapeutic applications of SIRT modulators in various age-related disorders, the search about them is quite active. Areas covered: This review includes the patents regarding SIRT modulators released from 2015 to 2019 and provides an overview of the most relevant SIRT modulators. Expert opinion: Despite the knowledge about this family of broad-spectrum protein lysine deacylases has recently massively increased, there are still open questions, first of all, the exact nature of their involvement in various age-related conditions. The search for isoform-specific SIRT activators and inhibitors is still at its infancy, a limited number of patents describing them has been released, and not many clinical trials are ongoing. However, it is extremely likely that the successes obtained in the structural elucidation and structure-based design approaches that very recently have led to potent and specific SIRT modulators will pave the way for the development of further compounds selective for every single isoform.
Mixed YOLOv3-LITE: A Lightweight Real-Time Object Detection Method

Embedded and mobile smart devices face problems related to limited computing power and excessive power consumption. To address these problems, we propose Mixed YOLOv3-LITE, a lightweight real-time object detection network that can be used with non-graphics processing unit (GPU) and mobile devices. Based on YOLO-LITE as the backbone network, Mixed YOLOv3-LITE supplements residual block (ResBlocks) and parallel high-to-low resolution subnetworks, fully utilizes shallow network characteristics while increasing network depth, and uses a “shallow and narrow” convolution layer to build a detector, thereby achieving an optimal balance between detection precision and speed when used with non-GPU based computers and portable terminal devices. The experimental results obtained in this study reveal that the size of the proposed Mixed YOLOv3-LITE network model is 20.5 MB, which is 91.70%, 38.07%, and 74.25% smaller than YOLOv3, tiny-YOLOv3, and SlimYOLOv3-spp3-50, respectively. The mean average precision (mAP) achieved using the PASCAL VOC 2007 dataset is 48.25%, which is 14.48% higher than that of YOLO-LITE. When the VisDrone 2018-Det dataset is used, the mAP achieved with the Mixed YOLOv3-LITE network model is 28.50%, which is 18.50% and 2.70% higher than tiny-YOLOv3 and SlimYOLOv3-spp3-50, respectively. The results prove that Mixed YOLOv3-LITE can achieve higher efficiency and better performance on mobile terminals and other devices.
COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients

There is minimal information on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in immunocompromised individuals. We have studied 10 patients treated at 12 adult care hospitals. Ten kidney transplant recipients tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) by polymerase chain reaction, and 9 were admitted. The median age was 57 (interquartile range [IQR] 47‐67), 60% were male, 40% Caucasian, and 30% Black/African American. Median time from transplant to COVID‐19 testing was 2822 days (IQR 1272‐4592). The most common symptom was fever, followed by cough, myalgia, chills, and fatigue. The most common chest X‐ray and computed tomography abnormality was multifocal patchy opacities. Three patients had no abnormal findings. Leukopenia was seen in 20% of patients, and allograft function was stable in 50% of patients. Nine patients were on tacrolimus and a mycophenolic antimetabolite, and 70% were on prednisone. Hospitalized patients had their antimetabolite agent stopped. All hospitalized patients received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. Three patients died (30%), and 5 (50%) developed acute kidney injury. Kidney transplant recipients infected with COVID‐19 should be monitored closely in the setting of lowered immunosuppression. Most individuals required hospitalization and presenting symptoms were similar to those of nontransplant individuals.
Responsive Instructional Design: Scaffolding the Adoption and Change Process.

According to the most recent report of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2000), 99 percent of all public school teachers now have access to computers or the Internet in their schools. However, despite this growing presence of technology, teachers all over the country continue to grapple with both practical and philosophical problems posed by the integration process. Nearly 70 percent of teachers still report not feeling well prepared to use computers and the Internet in their teaching (NCES). According to the 1998 Technology in Education Report (Market Data Retrieval), only 7 percent of schools, nationwide, boast a majority of teachers at an advanced skill level (i.e., able to integrate technology into the curriculum). Even among our newest teachers, instructional use is not as high as might be expected. Although beginning teachers report wanting to use computers, they often find it difficult to do so when so much of their time is consumed by the routine tasks of teaching and managing their classrooms. The use of computers, then, becomes an extra task which, although seen as important, is of lower priority than more basic activities (Hruskocy, 1999; Novak & Knowles, 1991).