Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of shear rate on the internal friction angle of silica sand and bentonite mixture samples

本研究では, 非排水条件下でリングせん断試験を実施し, せん断速度を変化させた時のせん断強度と過剰間隙水圧から内部摩擦角φr'を算出した。 試験には, 珪砂および珪砂と工業用ベントナイトの混合試料を使用した。 試験の結果, 計測した内部摩擦角の値にせん断速度依存性が見られた。 著者らは, 発揮された内部摩擦角の値から, せん断速度の変化に伴ってせん断モード (shear mode) が変化したと推定した。
Identiﬁcation of a Late Stage of Small Noncycling Pre-T Cells as Immediate Precursors of T Cell Receptor (cid:97) Thymocytes

Summary During thymocyte development, progression from T cell receptor (TCR) (cid:98) to TCR (cid:97) rearrangement is mediated by a CD3-associated pre-TCR composed of the TCR (cid:98) chain paired with pre-TCR (cid:97) (pT (cid:97) ). A major issue is how surface expression of the pre-TCR is regulated during normal thymocyte development to control transition through this checkpoint. Here, we show that developmental expression of pT (cid:97) is time- and stage-specific, and is confined in vivo to a limited subset of large cycling human pre-T cells that coexpress low density CD3. This restricted expression pattern allowed the identification of a novel subset of small CD3 (cid:50) thymocytes lacking surface pT (cid:97) , but expressing cytoplasmic TCR (cid:98) , that represent late noncycling pre-T cells in which recombination activating gene reexpression and downregulation of T early (cid:97) transcription are coincident events associated with cell cycle arrest, and immediately preceding TCR (cid:97) gene expression. Importantly, thymocytes at this late pre-T cell stage are shown to be functional intermediates between large pT (cid:97) (cid:49) pre-T cells and TCR (cid:97) / (cid:98) (cid:49) thymocytes. The results support a developmental model in which pre-TCR–expressing pre-T cells are brought into cycle, rapidly downregulate surface pre-TCR, and finally become small resting pre-T cells, before the onset of TCR (cid:97) gene expression. BRL, indicated electronically gated CD45
Diffusion estimation for small emissions. Preliminary report

A simplified approach is presented to the calculation of ground level concentrations of effluents from small industrial and fuel burning installations. It is intended to serve as a first approximation to a very complex process. Because each stack, building, and terrain configuration is different, actual ground concentrations may frequently differ from the values calculated here by a factor of two. Nonetheless, this procedure should be useful for determining whether ambient air quality standards are likely to be met, exceeded, or only marginally obtained. It also predicts the locations where the highest and most frequent ground concentrations are likely. Sampling at several such locations is very advisable, unless the predicted concentrations are quite low. In addition, consultation with a specialist in air pollution meteorology may be desirable, especially in marginal or unique situations. The procedures given here were designed especially for source heights of less than 100 m; some of the simplifications made are not valid for large emissions. In the few cases where more than arithmetic formulas are necessary, simple nomograms are provided.
Drained behaviour of cemented sand in high pressure triaxial compression tests

In this paper, drained behaviour of cemented sand under high pressure is studied. A recently developed high pressure triaxial apparatus is used. The test results indicate the significance of degree of cementation and confining pressure on the isotropic compression, volumetric change, stress-strain behaviour and stress-dilatancy relationship of cemented sand at high confining pressures. The results suggest that the influence of cementation is greater at low confining stresses and it reduces with increasing confining stress where the effect of the confining pressure becomes dominant. A Scanning Electron Microscope analysis has also been included in the paper. It revealed that the particle and cement bonding breakage at high pressure is dependent on the stress level and the cement content. The higher the confining pressure the more significant particle and cement bonding breakage is observed. The higher the cement content the fewer sand particles and cement bonds are broken.
Association between increased antenatal vaginal pH and preterm birth rate: a systematic review

Background: Worldwide, 14.9 million infants (11%) are born preterm each year. Up to 40% of preterm births (PTBs) are associated with genital tract infections. The vaginal pH can reflect changes in the vaginal milieu and, if elevated, indicates an abnormal flora or infection. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate whether an increased antenatal vaginal pH >4.5 in pre-labour pregnant women is associated with an increased PTB rate <37 completed weeks gestation. Search strategy: Key databases included SCOPUS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycInfo and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, complemented by hand search, up to January 2017. Selection criteria: Primary research reporting vaginal pH assessment in pre-labour pregnant women and PTB rate. Data collection and analysis: Data extraction and appraisal were carried out in a pre-defined standardised manner, applying the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) and Cochrane risk of bias tool. Analysis included calculation of risk difference (RD) and narrative synthesis. It was decided to abstain from pooling of the studies due to missing information in important moderators. Main results: Of 986 identified records, 30 were included in the systematic review. The risk of bias was considered mostly high (40%) or moderate (37%). Fifteen studies permitted a calculation of RD. Of these, 14 (93%) indicated a positive association between increased antenatal vaginal pH and PTB (RD range: 0.02–0.75). Conclusions: An increased antenatal vaginal pH >4.5 may be associated with a higher risk for PTB. It is recommended to conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the effectiveness of antenatal pH screening to prevent PTB. Tweetable abstract: Pregnant women with an increased vaginal pH >4.5 may be at higher risk to experience preterm birth.
Spring mesozooplankton communities in the epipelagic Ionian Sea in relation to the Eastern Mediterranean Transient

[1] The present work on mesozooplankton of the Ionian Sea is part of a study aimed at assessing if the epipelagic communities had been affected by the changes in circulation (named EMT, Eastern Mediterranean Transient) observed in the eastern Mediterranean starting from 1988 as a transient effect of climate forcing. A temporal comparison was performed on data obtained in the springs of 1999 and 1992, periods characterized by opposite patterns in the upper circulation that in 1998 reversed from an anticyclonic to a cyclonic flow. A spatial comparison was performed on the data collected in 1999 from areas that previous oceanographic surveys had shown to be diversely affected by the EMT. Interannual differences were observed in the distribution of mesozooplankton abundance in the upper layer that might be related to the EMT dynamics and the effects of the reversed circulation. In 1999, abundance and composition of epipelagic mesozooplankton differed between the northwestern and eastern areas of the Ionian Sea. The distribution of species, trophic groups and copepod gut pigments suggested that different pelagic food webs took place at the opposite sides of the basin. A “classic” type food web prevailed in the northwestern, more productive area, whereas the microbial links prevailed in the eastern, more oligotrophic area. The characteristics of the northwestern area may in large part be due to the enrichment effects of the cyclonic circulation enhanced by the nutricline uprise due to the EMT, and to the interaction between the cyclonic circulation and the continental slope.
Junctional adhesion molecule-A, an epithelial–mesenchymal transition inducer, correlates with metastasis and poor prognosis in human nasopharyngeal cancer

Junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A) is preferentially con- centrated at tight junctions and influences epithelial cell morphology and migration. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the conversion process of epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells, and it plays an important role in the invasiveness and metastasis of various cancers. However, the role of JAM-A in regulating the invasive behaviours of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unknown. In this study, we found that JAM-A upregulation induced EMT, whereas silencing of endogenous JAM-A expres- sion reversed EMT. Furthermore, upregulation of JAM-A led to EMT via activation phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway. PI3K inhibitors blocked JAM-A-induced EMT, suggesting that the kinase acts downstream of JAM-A. Finally, results from 172 human patients with NPC showed that high expression levels of JAM-A correlated with metastasis and poor prognosis in NPC. Taken together, these results suggest that high JAM-A expression positively correlates with poor prognosis in patients with NPC, and induces EMT of NPC cells in vitro and in vivo via the PI3K/Akt pathway. These data indicate novel func- tions in the JAM-A repertoire, and have clinical implications for the treatment of patients with NPC.
Quantitative determination of HF radio‐induced optical emission production efficiency at high latitudes

[1] A beam-swinging experiment carried out at the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program under relatively stable ionospheric conditions has allowed the spatial dependence of HF-induced artificial optical emissions at 630.0 nm to be determined in a quantitative manner for the first time. A forward model accounting for the beam power distribution and beam motion, effective lifetime of the emissions, and integration and sample times of the imager was used to separate the spatial dependence from the many other variables in the experiment. These results show the well-known magnetic zenith spot to account for just over half of an average maximum emission productivity of 4 R/MW and to be superimposed on a broader plateau of enhanced emission productivity. The broader distribution is centered on a point partway between the vertical and the magnetic zenith and drops off ∼15° from the center of the distribution. Optical emissions from beam positions centered far from vertical are effectively suppressed and are limited to the edge of the beam overlapping the region of higher emission productivity. A simple empirical description of emission generation efficiency captures the average spatial behavior of the 630.0 nm emissions and produces realistic synthetic optical images. Ray tracing through a 4-D data-based ionosphere model showed that HF waves are typically able to reach the upper hybrid resonance over a much wider range of angles than optical emissions are observed, suggesting that the emission cutoff results from the specific excitation mechanism rather than refraction.
The Role of Health Locus of Control in Predicting Depression Symptoms in a Sample of Iranian Older Adults with Chronic Diseases

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the prediction of depression on a group of Iranian older adults based on components of health locus of control. Method: Sixty-six men and 42 women over the age of 55 were recruited from the retirement clubs in Shiraz, using convenience sampling. The participants completed the research questionnaires including the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC). Results: The findings on health locus of control revealed that the highest score was on internal locus of control followed by God, powerful others and chance. The mean score on depression was on a normal range. Multiple regression analysis showed that two independent variables including internal control (ß = −.32, p < 0.01) and God control (ß = −.20, = p < 0.03) significantly predicted depression. The other components of health locus of control such as chance and powerful others as well as age did not predict depression. Findings also revealed that the independents variables explained 26% of the total variance of depression (R2 = .26, p <0.001). Conclusion: his study provides more support for the application of theory of health locus of control on depression.
Crustal structure beneath the Montserrat region of the Lesser Antilles island arc

We use receiver function analysis to estimate the first‐order subsurface seismic structure in the vicinity of the island of Montserrat, located in the northern Lesser Antilles arc and home of the active Soufrière Hills Volcano. Near‐surface complexity in the island structure inhibits our ability to resolve lateral variations in seismic structure, so we average the signals from eight stations in two directions to produce a first‐order regional seismic velocity model. Although we are unable to resolve a precise sharpness of the crust‐mantle transition, we can limit its thickness to less than ∼4 km. Lateral variations in shallow structure complicate a receiver function based estimate of Poisson's ratio, but the data indicate that in both directions sampled by the receiver functions, the lower crustal Poisson's ratio is greater than 0.27 and more likely in the range 0.29–0.30. We estimate a mean crustal thickness of ∼30 km, and the observations suggest that the crust may be slightly thinner northwest of the island (∼26–30 km) than it is to the south (∼30–34 km). The high P wave speed and Poisson's ratio indicate a generally mafic lower crust, with rocks of intermediate composition not precluded in the upper part of the lower crust. We did not find evidence for a thick high‐speed lower crust (>7.4 km/s) as has been inferred in some other arcs.
Dynapenic obesity and the risk of incident type 2 diabetes: The English 1 Longitudinal Study of Ageing

26 Introduction Obesity is a well-established risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus 27 (T2DM). Evidence suggests that sarcopenia, the age-related decline in muscle mass and 28 strength, may exacerbate diabetes risk in obese individuals. The aim of this study was to 29 determine the combined effect of obesity and low muscle strength, dynapenia, on the risk of 30 incident T2DM in older adults. 31 Methods Participants were 5953 (1670 obese) men and women from the English Longitudinal 32 Study of Ageing without known T2DM at baseline and for whom handgrip strength, 33 biochemical and other clinical data were collected. A diagnosis of T2DM was recorded from 34 self-reported physician diagnosis over 6 years. 35 Results For each unit increase in grip strength there was a reduction in diabetes risk (age and 36 sex, BMI adjusted HR; 0.98; 95% CI 0.96-0.99). The risk of T2DM was elevated in all obese 37 participants, but greatest in those with low handgrip strength (HR=4.93, 95% CI, 2.85, 8.53) 38 compared to non-obese individuals with high handgrip strength. 11 % of the sample met the 39 threshold for weakness (handgrip strength; men <26 kg; women <16kg) that was associated 40 with elevated T2DM risk in obese (HR=3.57, 95% CI, 2.04, 6.24) but not in non-obese (HR= 41 0.86, 95% CI, 0.44, 1.68) compared with normal/non-obese participants. 42 Conclusion Dynapenic obesity, determined by high body mass index and low handgrip 43 strength, is associated with increased risk of incident T2DM in older people.
Central and brachial pulse pressure predicts cardiovascular and renal events in treated hypertensive patients

Abstract Purposes Central blood pressure is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular prognosis rather than brachial blood pressure. The reflection wave reaches the abdominal aorta sooner than ascending aorta. Thus, the contribution of central pulse pressure (cPP) to renal events may differ from that of cardiovascular events. Methods The subanalysis of the ABC-J II study was performed. Subjects were 3434 treated hypertensive patients with a mean follow-up of 4.7 years. Left ventricular hypertrophy, an index of cardiovascular risk, correlated with cPP better than central systolic blood pressure in this cohort. The contribution of brachial pulse pressure (bPP) and cPP to cardiovascular and renal events was analysed. Results Cox proportional-hazard analysis revealed that sex (p < 0.001), height (p < 0.05), history of cardiovascular diseases (p < 0.001), number of antihypertensive drugs (p < 0.05), and cPP (p < 0.05) contributed to cardiovascular events. However, Cox proportional-hazard analysis disclosed that baseline serum creatinine (p < 0.001) and bPP (p < 0.05) predicted renal events. After adjusting for the history of cardiovascular diseases, Cox regression demonstrated only sex as a significant predictor of cardiovascular events. After adjusting for baseline serum creatinine, no parameters were shown to predict renal events. Conclusions The present findings support our previous data that the absence of cardiovascular or renal diseases is an important determinant for event-free survival, and suggest that cPP and bPP contribute to cardiovascular and renal events in treated hypertensive patients.
Assessing the Release Success of Rehabilitated Vervet Monkeys in South Africa

Eight post-rehabilitation vervet monkey troop releases were assessed with regard to their outcomes, environmental aspects of release sites and consistency with IUCN guidelines for non-human primate re-introductions. Based on our criteria, none could be considered successful as survival rates were too low. Troops with the best outcomes were close to the mean wild troop size. Despite release sites falling into two major groups in terms of climate, land cover and anthropogenic landscape alteration, we found no clear association between site characteristics and projected long-term survival. A number of IUCN guidelines were not followed. Recommended improvements include implementation of quarantine, disease screening and environmental enrichment, better assessment of release sites, and fitting all individuals with tracking devices to monitor for >1 year.
Domain Regeneration for Cross-Database Micro-Expression Recognition

Recently, micro-expression recognition has attracted lots of researchers’ attention due to its potential value in many practical applications, e.g., lie detection. In this paper, we investigate an interesting and challenging problem in micro-expression recognition, i.e., cross-database micro-expression recognition, in which the training and testing samples come from different micro-expression databases. Under this problem setting, the consistent feature distribution between the training and testing samples originally existing in conventional micro-expression recognition would be seriously broken, and hence, the performance of most current well-performing micro-expression recognition methods may sharply drop. In order to overcome it, we propose a simple yet effective framework called domain regeneration (DR) in this paper. The DR framework aims at learning a domain regenerator to regenerate the micro-expression samples from source and target databases, respectively, such that they can abide by the same or similar feature distributions. Thus, we are able to use the classifier learned based on the labeled source micro-expression samples to predict the label information of the unlabeled target micro-expression samples. To evaluate the proposed DR framework, we conduct extensive cross-database micro-expression recognition experiments designed based on the Spontaneous Micro-Expression Database and Chinese Academy of Sciences Micro-Expression II Database. Experimental results show that compared with the recent state-of-the-art cross-database emotion recognition methods, the proposed DR framework has more promising performance.
Cleaning methods for the isotopic determination of diatombound nitrogen in non‐fossil diatom frustules

Ground‐truthing the stable isotope ratio of diatom frustule‐bound organic nitrogen (N) as a paleoceanographic proxy of phytoplankton nutrient consumption calls for studies of modern diatoms from cultures and the field. This work has been hindered by the lack of a method to prepare fresh diatom material, which has significant geochemical differences from sedimentary fossil diatom, for analysis. We tested and compared the performance of five oxidative treatment protocols in cleaning fresh diatom frustules of external organic material for isotopic analysis of diatom frustule‐bound N. We applied each treatment to diatom material from a T. weiss‐flogii culture and measured the diatom‐bound N content and isotopic composition (δ15N) of samples. A favored treatment is described that includes a multi‐step, progressive, oxidative cleaning. The results suggest that the application of H2O2 to fresh biogenic opal for more than 20 min increased the accessibility of the N within the opal matrix to subsequent chemical treatment, an effect not observed for diatom frustules from deep ocean sediments. We attribute this effect to structural alteration and dissolution of the diatom opal by the H2O2, consistent with previous observations regarding the high reactivity of fresh diatom opal and its subsequent chemical hardening in the sedimentary environment. In addition, the presence of high levels of organic matter upon treatment with H2O2 may exacerbate the chemical alteration of frustules. We find that the δ15N of diatom‐bound N is ~3 ‰ higher than that of the bulk culture biomass, consistent with expectations from surface sediment and down‐core measurements.
Change in N-terminal-pro-B-type-natriuretic-peptide and the risk of sudden death, stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality in diabetic dialysis patients

Aims N-terminal-pro-B-type-natriuretic-peptide (NT-pro-BNP) concentrations are altered in renal failure. This study examined the effect of baseline and change from baseline NT-pro-BNP on cardiovascular outcome and mortality in haemodialysis patients. Methods and results On the basis of the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study, which evaluated atorvastatin in 1255 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) haemodialysis patients (median follow-up 4 years), the impact of NT-pro-BNP on pre-specified, adjudicated endpoints was investigated: sudden death (SD; n = 160), stroke (n = 99), myocardial infarction (MI; n = 200), cardiovascular events (CVEs: cardiac death, MI, stroke; n = 465), all-cause mortality (n = 612). Patients with baseline NT-pro-BNP ≥9252 pg/mL (fourth quartile) exhibited a more than four-fold risk of stroke [hazard ratio (HR) 4.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0–8.4] and a more than two-fold risk of SD (HR 2.0; 95% CI 1.2–3.3), CVE (HR 2.0; 95% CI 1.5–2.7), and mortality (HR 2.1; 95% CI 1.6–2.7) compared with patients with baseline NT-pro-BNP ≤ 1433 pg/mL (first quartile). Change in NT-pro-BNP was strongly associated with SD, CVE, and mortality. Doubling of NT-pro-BNP increased the risk of death by 46% (95% CI 1.1–2.0). Neither baseline nor change in NT-pro-BNP was significantly associated with MI. Conclusion Increasing NT-pro-BNP is a risk factor for SD, CVE, and mortality in haemodialysis patients with T2DM. Whether NT-pro-BNP-guided treatment improves outcome needs to be evaluated prospectively.
Two complete mitochondrial genomes from Praticolella mexicana Perez, 2011 (Polygyridae) and gene order evolution in Helicoidea (Mollusca, Gastropoda)

Abstract Helicoidea is a diverse group of land snails with a global distribution. While much is known regarding the relationships of helicoid taxa, comparatively little is known about the evolution of the mitochondrial genome in the superfamily. We sequenced two complete mitochondrial genomes from Praticolella mexicana Perez, 2011 representing the first such data from the helicoid family Polygyridae, and used them in an evolutionary analysis of mitogenomic gene order. We found the mitochondrial genome of Praticolella mexicana to be 14,008 bp in size, possessing the typical 37 metazoan genes. Multiple alternate stop codons are used, as are incomplete stop codons. Mitogenome size and nucleotide content is consistent with other helicoid species. Our analysis of gene order suggested that Helicoidea has undergone four mitochondrial rearrangements in the past. Two rearrangements were limited to tRNA genes only, and two involved protein coding genes.