Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence That the “Lid” Domain of Nicastrin Is Not Essential for Regulating (cid:2) -Secretase Activity *

Understanding of the structure of the (cid:2) -secretase complex consisting of presenilin (PS), anterior pharynx-defective 1 (APH-1), nicastrin (NCT), and presenilin enhancer 2 (PEN-2) is of significant therapeutic interest for the design of (cid:2) -secretase modulators for Alzheimer disease. The structure of (cid:2) -secretase revealed by cryo-EM approaches suggested a substrate binding mechanism for NCT, a bilobar structure that involved rotation of the two lobes around a central pivot and opening of a “lid” region that facilitates substrate recruitment. To validate this proposal, we expressed NCT that lacks the lid entirely, or a variety of NCT variants that harbor mutations at highly conserved residues in the lid region in NCT -deficient cells, and then assessed their impact on (cid:2) -secretase assembly, activity, and stability. In addition, we assessed the impact of mutating a critical residue proposed to be a pivot around which the two lobes of NCT rotate. Our results show that neither the mutations on the lid testedherenortheentireliddeletionhasanysignificantimpacton (cid:2) -secretaseassembly,activity,andstability,andthatNCTwiththe mutation of the proposed pivot rescues (cid:2) -secretase activity in NCT -deficient cells
A spectroscopic study of the open cluster NGC 6250

We present the chemical abundance analysis of 19 upper main-sequence stars of the young open cluster NGC 6250 (log t ~ 7.42 yr). This work is part of a project aimed at setting observational constraints on the theory of atomic diffusion in stellar photospheres, by means of a systematic study of the abundances of the chemical elements of early F-, A- and late B-type stars of well-determined age. Our data set consists of low-, medium- and high-resolution spectra obtained with the Fibre Large Array Multi Element Spectrograph (FLAMES) instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). To perform our analysis, we have developed a new suite of software tools for the chemical abundance analysis of stellar photospheres in local thermodynamical equilibrium. Together with the chemical composition of the stellar photospheres, we have provided new estimates of the cluster mean radial velocity, proper motion, refined the cluster membership, and we have given the stellar parameters including masses and fractional age. We find no evidence of statistically significant correlation between any of the parameters, including abundance and cluster age, except perhaps for an increase in Ba abundance with cluster age. We have proven that our new software tool may be successfully used for the chemical abundance analysis of large data sets of stellar spectra.
On a Nonlinear Singular Perturbation Boundary Value Problem in Gas Lubrication Theory

In determining the load capacity of a self-acting gas slider bearing, one obtains a nonlinear second order ordinary differential equation (Reynolds equation), \[ \varepsilon \left(h^3 (x)yy'\right)' = (h(x)y)' \], for the dimensionless pressure y on the interval $0 0$ and the film thickness $h(x) > 0$. Using the method of shooting, the existence of a solution $y = \psi (x;\varepsilon )$ is demonstrated such that $0 0$. Furthermore, a proof by contradiction yields uniqueness. The problem is of singular perturbation type as $\varepsilon \downarrow 0$ with a boundary layer at $x = 1$. By an appropriate change of variables, the nonlinear Reynolds equation can be written in a quasilinear form extensively discussed in the literature. An asymptotic representation of $\psi (x;\varepsi.
Body Image Perception in Adolescents: The Role of Sports Practice and Sex

Concerns about weight and body image are common among adolescents, as adolescence represents a time of intense and rapid change. This cross-sectional study assessed the difference in body image perception by sex, weight status and sports practice in a sample of Italians aged 13–18 years. For this purpose, we considered a sample of 140 adolescents subdivided into two groups: a group of sports-playing teenagers practicing volleyball (39 males and 26 females), and a group of teenagers not actively involved in sports (24 males and 51 females). Body mass index (BMI), body image variables, and sports practice were examined. Due to COVID-19 limitations, height and weight were self-reported and BMI was calculated as weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of height (in meters). Body image perception was assessed by the short version of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-14) and by the Stunkard Body Silhouette Chart. Two-way ANCOVAs adjusted for age were performed to test the differences between sexes and sports groups. Adolescent volleyball players had a lower incidence of weight disorders. Weight status significantly differed between those who played sports and those who did not, but there was no significant difference in weight status between sexes. On the whole, sports players and males showed higher results than non-sports players and females. The highest level of body image dissatisfaction was found in non-sports-playing females, while sports-playing males showed the lowest. The present study confirms the positive link between sport and body image and can be of support to lead adolescents to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle. Further research is needed to validate our findings through a longitudinal study during the entire period of adolescence. In addition, it would be interesting to validate the results on a larger sample, also taking into account socio-demographic variables and including athletes engaged in different types of sports.
Energy dissipation and trapping of particles moving on a rough surface

We report on an experimental, numerical, and theoretical study of the motion of a ball on a rough inclined surface. The control parameters are $D$, the diameter of the ball, $\ensuremath{\theta}$, the inclination angle of the rough surface, and ${E}_{\mathrm{ki}},$ the initial kinetic energy. When the angle of inclination is larger than some critical value, $\ensuremath{\theta}g{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{T},$ the ball moves at a constant average velocity, which is independent of the initial conditions. For an angle $\ensuremath{\theta}l{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{T},$ the balls are trapped after moving a certain distance. The dependence of the traveled distances on ${E}_{\mathrm{ki}},$ $D,$ and \ensuremath{\theta} is analyzed. The existence of two kinds of mechanisms of dissipation is thus brought to light. We find that for high initial velocities the friction force is constant. As the velocity decreases below a certain threshold the friction becomes viscous.
Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain Predicts Mortality and Long-Term Neurological Outcomes in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) often suffer from heterogeneous long-term neurological deficits, such as cognitive decline. Our ability to measure secondary brain injury to predict the long-term outcomes of these patients is limited. We investigated whether the blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) can monitor brain injury and predict long-term outcomes in patients with ICH. We enrolled 300 patients with first-episode ICH within 24 h recruited in the Chinese Cerebral Hemorrhage Mechanisms and Intervention study cohort from January 2019 to June 2020. Patients were prospectively followed up for 12 months. Blood samples were collected from 153 healthy participants. Plasma NfL levels determined using a single-molecule array revealed a biphasic increase in plasma NfL in ICH patients compared to healthy controls, with the first peak at around 24 h and a second elevation from day 7 through day 14 post-ICH. Plasma NfL levels were positively correlated with hemorrhage volume, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, and Glasgow Coma Scale scores of ICH patients. Higher NfL concentration within 72 h after ictus was independently associated with 6- and 12-month worsened functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale ≥ 3) and higher all-cause mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive function evaluation were available for 26 patients at 6 months post-ICH, and NfL levels measured 7 days post-ictus correlated with decreased white matter fiber integrity and poor cognitive function at 6 months after stroke. These findings suggest that blood NfL is a sensitive marker for monitoring axonal injury post-ICH and can predict long-term functional ability and survival.
The Impact of Investment Decisions on Firm Financial Performance Moderated by Economic Policy Uncertainty: Evidence from the Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan

The study examines the link between firm-level investment and firm performance moderated by economic policy uncertainty in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan across the six years from 2015–2020. The System-GMM estimation has been employed to demonstrate the problem of endogeneity with dynamic linear and non-linear models. The study revealed that the moderating impact of economic policy uncertainty has negative and significant impact on investment (investment in tangible assets, investment in intangible assets, and financial leverage) and firm performance (Tobin’s Q). Similarly, economic policy uncertainty regarding investment and firm performance (ROA) is negative and significant in investment in tangible assets, but positive and significant in financial leverage. Our findings remain constant over a range of variable characteristics, even after accounting for endogeneity issues. Our main contribution is the finding that investment and firm performance have a negative and significant relationship with economic policy uncertainty. As economic policy uncertainty raises the firm level, investment decreases, which ultimately impacts firm performance negatively. Thus, the study advises that policymakers make an effort to minimize the effect of economic policy uncertainty at a certain level. They must keep this uncertainty within a reasonable range since increased economic policy uncertainty will push businesses to minimize their short-term and long-term investments.
Polarization transfer inHe4(e→,e'p→)andO16(e→,e'p→)in a relativistic Glauber model

p) 15 N are computed within the relativistic multiple-scattering Glauber approximation (RMSGA). The RMSGA framework adopts relativistic single-particle wave functions and electron-nucleon couplings. The predictions closely match those of a relativistic plane-wave model indicating the smallness of the final-state interactions for polarization-transfer components. Also shortrange correlations play a modest role for the studied observables, as long as small proton missing momenta are probed in quasielastic kinematics. The predictions with free and various parametrizations for the mediummodified electromagnetic form factors are compared to the world data.
Pharmacological Mechanisms and Clinical Applications of Curcumin: Update

Curcumin, a well-known hydrophobic polyphenol extracted from the rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), has attracted great interest in the last ten years due to its multiple pharmacological activities. A growing body of evidence has manifested that curcumin has extensive pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxygenation, lipid regulation, antiviral, and anticancer with hypotoxicity and minor adverse reactions. However, the disadvantages of low bioavailability, short half-life in plasma, low drug concentration in blood, and poor oral absorption severely limited the clinical application of curcumin. Pharmaceutical researchers have carried out plenty of dosage form transformations to improve the druggability of curcumin and have achieved remarkable results. Therefore, the objective of this review summarizes the pharmacological research progress, problems in clinical application and the improvement methods of curcumin’s druggability. By reviewing the latest research progress of curcumin, we believe that curcumin has a broad clinical application prospect for its wide range of pharmacological activities with few side effects. The deficiencies of lower bioavailability of curcumin could be improved by dosage form transformation. However, curcumin in the clinical application still requires further study regarding the underlying mechanism and clinical trial verification.
The ionization parameter of star-forming galaxies evolves with the specific star formation rate

LK gratefully acknowledges support from an ARC Laureate Fellowship (FL150100113). BG gratefully acknowledges the support of the Australian Research Council as the recipient of a Future Fellowship (FT140101202). Parts of this research were conducted by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), through project number CE170100013.
Nonreciprocal charge transport in two-dimensional noncentrosymmetric superconductors

Nonreciprocal charge transport phenomena are studied theoretically for two-dimensional noncentrosymmetric superconductors under an external magnetic field $B$. Rashba superconductors, surface superconductivity on the surface of three-dimensional topological insulators, and transition-metal dichalcogenides such as ${\mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ are representative systems, and the current-voltage $I\ensuremath{-}V$ characteristics, i.e., $V=V(I)$, for each of them is analyzed. $V(I)$ can be expanded with respect to the current $I$ as $V(I)={\ensuremath{\sum}}_{j=1,\ensuremath{\infty}}{a}_{j}(B,T){I}^{j}$, and the $(B,T)$ dependence of ${a}_{j}$ depends on the mechanism of the charge transport. Our analysis is based on the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, which contains up to third-order terms in the momentum of the order parameter. Above the mean field superconducting transition temperature ${T}_{0}$, the fluctuation of the superconducting order parameter gives the additional conductivity, i.e., paraconductivity. With the extension of paraconductivity to the nonlinear response, we obtain the nonreciprocal charge transport. On the other hand, below ${T}_{0}$, the vortices determine the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and also the resistivity. The nonreciprocal resistivity is analyzed from the dynamics of vortices in this temperature region. Based on these results, we propose the experiments to identify the mechanism of the nonreciprocal transport with the realistic estimates for the order of magnitude of the coefficients ${a}_{j}(B,T)$ for each case.
The importance and need for system monitoring and analysis in HPC operations and research

In this work, system monitoring and analysis are discussed in terms of their significance and benefits for operations and research in the field of high-performance computing (HPC). HPC systems deliver unique insights to computational scientists from different disciplines. It is argued that research in HPC is also computational in nature, given the massive amounts of monitoring data collected at various levels of an HPC system. The vision of a comprehensive system model developed based on holistic monitoring and analysis is also presented. The goal and expected outcome of such a model is an improved understanding of the intricate interactions between today's software and hardware, and their diverse usage patterns. The associated modeling, monitoring, and analysis challenges are reviewed and discussed. The envisioned comprehensive system model will provide the ability to design future systems that are better understood before use, easier to maintain and monitor, more efficient, more reliable, and, therefore, more productive. The paper is concluded with a number of recommendations towards realizing the envisioned system model.
Constraints on matter from asymptotic safety

Recent studies of the ultraviolet behavior of pure gravity suggest that it admits a non-Gaussian attractive fixed point, and therefore that the theory is asymptotically safe. We consider the effect on this fixed point of massless minimally coupled matter fields. The existence of a UV attractive fixed point puts bounds on the type and number of such fields.
Microplastic in Food and Water: Current Knowledge and Awareness of Consumers

In recent years, the widespread of microplastics in the food chain and environment became a topic of much research. This article focused on the knowledge and awareness of people with higher education levels—mostly young ones. The aim of this study is to analyze to what extent consumers know about and are aware of the source of microplastics, the level of exposure, and potential health hazards connected to the contamination of food and water with microplastics. The test group, consisting of 410 people, is mostly able to correctly characterize what microplastics mean and knows its sources. A majority of the group is aware of potential presence of microplastics in water; however, the knowledge about contamination of other elements of the environment seems to be gradually lowering. The majority of the people taking part in the research know that microplastic might be present in foods, and they are aware that after entering the human body, it might accumulate in internal organs. Moreover, when asked about potential health hazards, the group chose mostly tumors and gastrointestinal disorders, while disorders of the reproductive system were chosen less frequently. Consumers’ knowledge regarding the sources and health hazards of microplastics seems to be more common among women, in groups living in cities and among people who studied physics-related subjects and medicine.
Early Estimation of Microlensing Event Magnifications

Gravitational microlensing events with high peak magnifications provide a much-enhanced sensitivity to the detection of planets around the lens star. However, estimates of peak magnification during the early stages of an event by means of χ2 minimization frequently involve an overprediction, making observing campaigns with strategies that rely on these predictions inefficient. I show that a rudimentary Bayesian formulation, incorporating the known statistical characteristics of a detection system, produces much more accurate predictions of peak magnification than χ2 minimization. Implementation of this system will allow efficient follow-up observing programs that focus solely on events that contribute to planetary abundance statistics.
Intermediate-mass Elements in Young Supernova Remnants Reveal Neutron Star Kicks by Asymmetric Explosions

The birth properties of neutron stars (NSs) yield important information about the still-debated physical processes that trigger the explosion as well as on intrinsic neutron-star physics. These properties include the high space velocities of young neutron stars with average values of several 100 km s−1, with an underlying “kick” mechanism that is not fully clarified. There are two competing possibilities that could accelerate NSs during their birth: anisotropic ejection of either stellar debris or neutrinos. Here we present new evidence from X-ray measurements that chemical elements between silicon and calcium in six young gaseous supernova remnants are preferentially expelled opposite to the direction of neutron star motion. There is no correlation between the kick velocities and magnetic field strengths of these neutron stars. Our results support a hydrodynamic origin of neutron-star kicks connected to asymmetric explosive mass ejection, and they conflict with neutron-star acceleration scenarios that invoke anisotropic neutrino emission caused by particle and nuclear physics in combination with very strong neutron-star magnetic fields.
Follow-up and characterization of the TESS exoplanets with SOPHIE, SPIRou, and JWST

The NASA TESS mission will deliver hundreds of transiting exoplanet candidates orbiting bright stars. The spectrometers SOPHIE at OHP and SPIRou at CFHT will be ideal to obtain radial velocities of these candidates, confirm their nature, and derive the planets' masses. These measurements will be crucial to deliver the best targets for atmospheric characterization with JWST. Here, we calculate the required observing time with SOPHIE, SPIRou, and JWST for each of the TESS targets in order to prepare follow-up observations. To infer their potential for JWST, we restrict the calculations to the case of transmission spectroscopy with NIRISS. The radial velocity follow-up of the giant planets ($R_p > 4 \rm \, R_E$) could be achieved with SOPHIE, with a median observing time of 3.47 hours per target, and a total observing time of 305 hours that includes the 80% most favorable cases. Several small planets ($R_p < 4 \rm \, R_E$) could also be confirmed, but most of them would require an unrealistic time investment. On the other hand, SPIRou is ideally suited to the follow-up of the small planets, with a median observing time of 2.65 hours per target, and a median observing time of 4.70 hours for the terrestrial planets in the habitable zone ($R_p < 2 \rm \, R_E$, $S < 2 \rm \, S_E$). With JWST, the 10% most favorable small planets (184 planets) have a median observing time of 16.2 hours, and the 10% most favorable habitable zone terrestrial planets (7 planets) have a median observing time of 59.7 hours. Overall, this study will help define a follow-up strategy and prepare observation programs with SOPHIE and SPIRou before the first planet candidates are delivered by TESS.
Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on Reducing Airborne Escherichia coli Carried by Poultry Litter Particles

Simple Summary Airborne Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been proven to be a threat to the poultry industry. This study aimed at examining the effect of UV light (with the wavelength of 254 nm) on the inactivation of airborne E. coli carried by poultry dust particles. A newly designed system was used to assess the inactivation rates of UV light. E. coli inactivation was tested at different contact times (from 5.62 to 0.23 s) and different UV irradiance levels (of 1707 µW cm−2 and 3422 µW cm−2). The airborne E. coli was reduced significantly for all treatments with UV lamps. The inactivation rates can reach over 99.87% and 99.95% at 0.11 ± 0.02 m s−1 wind speed with of 1707 µW cm−2 and 3422 µW cm−2. The results may provide an insightful understanding of the UV effect on airborne E. coli. Abstract Airborne Escherichia coli (E. coli) originating in poultry houses can be transmitted outside poultry farms through the air, posing risks of barn-to-barn infection through airborne transmission. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light on the inactivation of airborne E. coli carried by poultry dust particles under laboratory conditions. A system containing two chambers that were connected by a UV scrubber was designed in the study. In the upstream chamber of the system, airborne E. coli attached to dust particles were aerosolized by a dry aerosolization-based system. Two sets of air samplers were placed in the two chambers to collect the viable airborne E. coli. By comparing the concentration of airborne E. coli in the two chambers, the inactivation rates were calculated. The airborne E. coli inactivation rates were tested at different contact times with the aid of a vacuum pump (from 5.62 to 0.23 s of contact time) and different UV irradiance levels (of 1707 µW cm−2 and 3422 µW cm−2). The inactivation rates varied from over 99.87% and 99.95% at 5.62 s of contact time with 1707 µW cm−2 and 3422 µW cm−2 of UV irradiance to 72.90% and 86.60% at 0.23 s of contact time with 1707 µW cm−2 and 3422 µW cm−2 of UV irradiance. The designed system was able to create the average UV irradiation of 1707 µW cm−2 and 3422 µW cm−2 for one UV lamp and two UV lamps, respectively. The findings of this study may provide an understanding of the effect of UV light on the inactivation of airborne E. coli carried by dust particles and help to design an affordable mitigation system for poultry houses.