Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Characterization of the Doremus Avenue Bridge Substructure

Dynamic properties of the drilled shaft foundations supporting Doremus Avenue Bridge in Newark, New Jersey were determined by forced vibration testing. Doremus Avenue Bridge has been selected for instrumentation, testing and monitoring because it is first bridge in New Jersey designed according to LRFD specification. The main objectives of the substructure testing at Doremus Avenue Bridge were: (a) site evaluation with respect to the dynamic soil properties, and, (b) shaft evaluation for the purpose of definition of their dynamic stiffness. The site characterization entailed crosshole testing for the purpose of evaluation of the shear modulus profile. The drilled shaft impedance evaluation was done through forced excitation using an electromagnetic shaker. The response of the tested shaft, as well as the response of adjacent shafts, was measured for the purpose of evaluation of the shaft interaction. To gain a better insight into the shaft dynamics, one of the shafts was instrumented with five triaxial geophones distributed along the full length of the shaft. The scope and results of the site characterization, shaft impedance and shaft interaction evaluation are presented.
Ophiopogonin D ameliorates non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease in high‑fat diet‑induced obese mice by improving lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammatory response

Lipid metabolic disorders, oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver are key steps in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Ophiopogonin D (OP-D), the main active ingredient of Ophiopogon japonicus, exhibits several pharmacological activities such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the role of OP-D in NAFLD in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model. To investigate the effect of OP-D on NAFLD in vivo, a NAFLD mouse model was established following feeding mice with HFD, then the mice were randomly treated with HFD or HFD + OP-D for 4 weeks. Subsequently, primary mouse hepatocytes were isolated, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis were used for assessment to explore the direct effect of OP-D in vitro. The results of the present study indicated that OP-D could ameliorate NAFLD in HFD-induced obese mice by regulating lipid metabolism and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. Additionally, OP-D treatment decreased lipogenesis and inflammation levels in vitro, suggesting that the NF-κB signaling pathway may be involved in the beneficial effects of OP-D on NAFLD.
Osteopontin expression and the effect of anti-VLA-4 mAb treatment in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of OPN in spinal cords of mice in the successive phases of EAE, to compare it with the density of inflammatory cells, oligodendrocytes and with the expression of interleukin (IL)-17A and to assess the effect of anti-α4β1 integrin (VLA-4) treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice were injected with anti-VLA-4 antibodies or, as treatment control, with immunoglobulin G (IgG). Spinal cords were sectioned and immunostained for OPN, CD45 (overall leukocytes), CD3 (T cells), Iba1 (activated macrophages/microglia), IL-17A, and CNP1 (oligodendrocytes). Microscopic images were analysed and the percentage of immunopositive areas encompassing the whole spinal cord cross-sectional area were assessed in images for each antigen. RESULTS Osteopontin was expressed by inflammatory cells and by a minority of neurons and blood vessels. Most of the studied parameters followed the temporal pattern of clinical scores: increase in the peak phase and decrease in the chronic phase. Only OPN and IL-17A remained at a high level in the chronic phase, while CNP1 expression gradually decreased in the successive phases. Anti-VLA-4 treatment lowered the expression of the studied antigens in the peak and chronic phases with the exception of oligodendrocyte marker CNP1 which in both phases showed an increased expression. CONCLUSIONS Involvement of OPN is particularly significant in advanced EAE. Anti-VLA-4 treatment not only inhibits migration of myelin-reactive T cells, but also downregulates OPN and inhibits loss of oligodendrocytes.
Effects of dietary supplementation of Bekang as probiotics source on growth, nutrient utilization, carcass traits and production efficiency of broilers

The Bekang is a rich source of probiotics and may be a suitable alternative to fermented feed and AGPs for broilers. One-day old 240 broiler chicks were assigned to 6 dietary treatments: T1 (basal ration), T2 (basal ration + Bacitracin methylene disalicylate @ 0.5 g/kg basal ration), T3 (basal ration + fermented feed by Lactobacillus acidophilus @ 100 g/kg), T4 (basal ration + Bekang @ 50 g/kg), T5 (basal ration + Bekang @ 75 g/kg) and T6 (basal ration + Bekang @ 100 g/kg). The broiler chicks were housed under deep litter system with vaccination and deworming as per schedule. Feeding and watering were done ad lib. A metabolic trial and study on carcass traits were conducted at 6th week and FCR and ERS were calculated. Feed intakes were significantly higher in T3, T4, T5 and T6 than T1 and T2; whereas body weight gain and final body weight were significantly high in T5 and T6. No significant effects on nutrient utilization and carcass traits were recorded between groups. Significantly better FCR was recorded in T3, T4, T5 and T6and highest ERS was recorded in T6. The study revealed that Bekang could be a substitute of fermented feed and AGP and dietary supplementation as low as 50 g/kg ration may be recommended to broilers.
Heteroskedasticity-robust semi-parametric GMM estimation of a spatial model with space-varying coefficients

ABSTRACT Heteroskedasticity-robust semi-parametric GMM estimation of a spatial model with space-varying coefficients. Spatial Economic Analysis. The spatial model with space-varying coefficients proposed by Sun et al. in 2014 has proved to be useful in detecting the location effects of the impacts of covariates as well as spatial interaction in empirical analysis. However, Sun et al.’s estimator is inconsistent when heteroskedasticity is present – a circumstance that is more realistic in certain applications. In this study, we propose a kind of semi-parametric generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator that is not only heteroskedasticity robust but also takes a closed form written explicitly in terms of observed data. We derive the asymptotic distributions of our estimators. Moreover, the results of Monte Carlo experiments show that the proposed estimators perform well in finite samples.
On the cliquish, quasicontinuous and measurable selections

Summary. The p ur p o se of this pape r i s the investigation o f the n ecessa ry and s uf ficie nt con ditions under which a given multifunction admits a c l iquish and m eas ur a b le se l ection. Our invest i ga tion als o c ov e r s the sea r c h for quasicontinuous selec tion s for mu l tifunctions which a r e continuous with r espec t to the genera l ized notion o f the semi-quasicontinuity.
Lack of functional brain connectivity was associated with poor inhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using near-infrared spectroscopy

Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of functional brain connectivity in the resting state in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to assess the association between the connectivity and inhibition function using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Methods In total, 34 children aged 6–13 diagnosed with ADHD were recruited from Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital. In comparison, 37 healthy children were recruited from a local primary school as controls matched by age and sex. We used NIRS to collect information on brain images. The Stroop test assessed inhibition function. We compared the differences in functional brain connectivity in two groups by analyzing the resting-state brain network. Pearson partial correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the correlation between functional brain connectivity and inhibition in all the children. Results Compared with the control group, results of NIRS images analysis showed that children with ADHD had significantly low functional brain connectivity in regions of the orbitofrontal cortex, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex, inferior prefrontal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.006). Inhibition function of children with ADHD was negatively correlated with functional brain connectivity (p = 0.009), while such correlation was not found in the control group. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that children with ADHD had relatively low connectivity in several brain regions measured at the resting state. Our results supported the evidence that lack of functional brain connectivity was associated with impaired inhibition function in children with ADHD.
HPV16 E6/E7 -based mRNA vaccine is therapeutic in mice bearing aggressive HPV-positive lesions

HPV (Human papillomavirus) affects 600,000 people worldwide each year. Almost all cervical cancers are associated with a past HPV infection. In particular, the positivity to the high-risk type HPV16 is detected in most of the invasive cervical cancers. FDA has approved prophylactic vaccines that protect against new HPV16 infections, but do not induce immunity in those patients with established infections or neoplasms. To date, no therapeutic vaccine targeting HPV16-associated lesions has been authorized. We have developed an mRNA-based vaccine against the HPV16 late oncoproteins E6 and E7, which are abundantly and exclusively expressed in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs), a stage of the cervical disease that precedes the progression to carcinoma. Our in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that the translated mRNA is functional and elicits an antigen-specific adaptive immune response. Upon immunization with the vaccine, mice with HPV16+ lesions exhibited tumor growth inhibition, extension of lifespan, and development of a protective immune memory. In light of these results and the remarkable clinical success of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV2, we believe that our mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine has the potential to offer a non-invasive treatment alternative to the current standard of care for HPV16+ HSILs.
Interpretations of Boxplots: Helping Middle School Students to Think Outside the Box

ABSTRACT Boxplots are statistical representations for organizing and displaying data that are relatively easy to create with a five-number summary. However, boxplots are not as easy to understand, interpret, or connect with other statistical representations of the same data. We worked at two different schools with 259 middle school students who constructed and interpreted boxplots. We observed that even students who were able to create boxplots had difficulty interpreting data represented in a boxplot. After sharing specific difficulties that we observed students having, we discuss ways to help students to make sense of data presented in boxplots.
Dynamic analysis and optimal control of Zika virus transmission with immigration

In this paper, a type of Zika virus model with immigration is considered. Additionally based on the risk of infected immigrants, we propose a control measure of screening for immigrants and a three-measure control model of combined mosquito prevention and killing. The existence and stability of the equilibrium in the Zika virus model are analyzed. The necessary conditions for the existence of the optimal solution are given using Pontryagin's maximum principle. We focused on testing screening of the immigrating population to ensure a reduction in the transmission of the virus. Models have demonstrated that in combination with routine mosquito control measures and the appropriate use of mosquitoicides, the transmission of Zika virus in the population can be effectively reduced.
A new record of Scedosporium dehoogii isolated from paddy field soil in Iran: Phylogeny and antifungal susceptibility profiles

Background and Purpose: Scedosporium species are ubiquitous environmental fungi, which are considered emerging agents that trigger disease in humans and animals. The present study aimed to determine Scedosporium dehoogii strain isolated from paddy field soil samples using semi-selective media and evaluate its antifungal susceptibility profile. Materials and Methods: Three paddy field soil samples were collected during an investigation for the isolation of Scedosporium species in Mazandaran province, Iran. Morphological and molecular analyses based on ITS-rDNA sequencing were performed. Furthermore, in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing for conventional drugs and novel imidazole (luliconazole) was performed based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M38-A3 guidelines. Results: In this study, S. dehoogii was isolated from the soil in paddy fields. Based on the results, itraconazole and luliconazole showed the least and most antifungal activity against this isolate, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the findings, molecular identification was essential for distinguishing the species of S. dehoogii. Remarkably, luliconazole showed potent activity against this strain.
A force-matching Stillinger-Weber potential for MoS2: Parameterization and Fisher information theory based sensitivity analysis

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising material for the next generation of switchable transistors and photodetectors. In order to perform large-scale molecular simulations of the mechanical and thermal behavior of MoS2-based devices, an accurate interatomic potential is required. To this end, we have developed a Stillinger-Weber potential for monolayer MoS2. The potential parameters are optimized to reproduce the geometry (bond lengths and bond angles) of MoS2 in its equilibrium state and to match as closely as possible the forces acting on the atoms along a dynamical trajectory obtained from ab initio molecular dynamics. Verification calculations indicate that the new potential accurately predicts important material properties including the strain dependence of the cohesive energy, the elastic constants, and the linear thermal expansion coefficient. The uncertainty in the potential parameters is determined using a Fisher information theory analysis. It is found that the parameters are.
Decadal changes in rapid intensification of western North Pacific tropical cyclones modulated by the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation

This study investigates the modulation of western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclone rapid intensification (RI) by the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) on decadal timescales. There is a significant inverse relationship between basinwide RI numbers during July–November and the simultaneous NPGO index from 1970 to 2021. During the positive NPGO phase, suppressed RI occurs over almost the entire WNP, with a distinctly different spatial distribution compared to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation-driven pattern of RI modulation. RI occurrence is significantly reduced over the eastern Philippine Sea (10°–25°N, 140°–155°E). This is primarily caused by enhanced negative low-level vorticity, which can be linked to the horizontal extent of the anomalous low-level anticyclone. By comparison, over the western Philippine Sea (10°–25°N, 125°–140°E), there are only weak RI occurrence changes due to offsetting influences of increased mid-level humidity and decreased low-level vorticity.
Prognostic value of neutrophil extracellular trap signature in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Introduction Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent type of urological carcinoma. Although targeted therapy and immunotherapy are usually employed, they often result in primary and acquired resistance. There is currently a lack of dependable biomarkers that can accurately anticipate the prognosis of ccRCC. Recent research has indicated the critical role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the development, metastasis, and immune evasion of cancer. The aim of this study was to explore the value of NETs in the development and prognosis of ccRCC. Methods Clinical features and genetic expression information of ccRCC patients were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and E-MTAB-1980 database. NETs-related gene set were obtained from previous studies. A NETs-related gene signature was constructed based on TCGA data and validated using ICGC and E-MTAB-1980 databases. Furthermore, the immune microenvironment and responsiveness to anticancer medications in ccRCC patients with varying levels of NETs risks were investigated. Results A total of 31 NET-related genes were differently expressed between normal kidney and ccRCC tissues. 17 out of 31 were significantly associated with overall survival. After LASSO Cox regression analysis, nine NETs-related genes were enrolled to construct the NETs prognosis signature, and all the ccRCC patients from TCGA were divided into low and high risk group. This signature demonstrated excellent performance in predicting the overall survival of TCGA patients as well as the validation ICGC and E-MTAB-1980 patients. Additionally, the NETs signature was significantly correlated with immune infiltration and drug sensitivity. Conclusions The NETs signature established by the current study has prognostic significance in ccRCC, and may serve as a useful biomarker for patient stratification and treatment decisions. Further validation and clinical studies are required to fully translate these findings into clinical practice.
Integrating uncertainty propagation in GNSS radio occultation retrieval: From bending angle to dry‐air atmospheric profiles

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) observations, globally available as a continuous record since 2001, are highly accurate and long‐term stable data records. Essential climate variables for the thermodynamic state of the free atmosphere, such as temperature and tropospheric water vapor profiles (involving background information), can be derived from these records, which consequentially have the potential to serve as climate benchmark data. In order to exploit this potential, atmospheric profile retrievals need to be very accurate and the remaining uncertainties need to be quantified and traced throughout the retrieval chain. The new Reference Occultation Processing System at the Wegener Center aims to deliver such an accurate retrieval chain with integrated uncertainty propagation. Here we introduce and demonstrate the algorithms implemented for uncertainty propagation from RO bending angle profiles to dry‐air variables (pressure and temperature), for estimated random and systematic uncertainties, and for coestimates of observation‐to‐background weighting ratio profiles. We estimated systematic uncertainty profiles with the same operators as used for the basic profiles retrieval. The random uncertainty propagation was integrated by a covariance propagation approach and validated using Monte‐Carlo ensemble methods. We present the results of the validation and demonstrate how the algorithm performs for individual simulated RO events and for ensembles of real RO events. We also compare the new results from the integrated uncertainty propagation to previous ones from empirical error analyses for RO‐retrieved atmospheric profiles. We find that the new uncertainty estimation chain shows robust performance and is in good agreement with previous comparable results.
Evaluation of efficacy of peribulbar block with the combination of 2% lidocaine and 0.5% bupivacaine in comparison with 2% lidocaine and 0.75% ropivacaine in cataract surgery

Introduction: Cataract surgery is performed under peribulbar or retrobulbar block. Majority of the patients posted for cataract have some form of medical diseases like diabetes, hypertension, angina, ischaemic heart disease etc. Lidocaine and bupivacaine are the most commonly used local anesthetic for the block procedure. Here we compare the efficacy of peribulbar block in cataract surgery using the combination of 1:1 mixture of 2% lidocaine with 0.5% bupivacaine and 1:1 mixture of 2% lidocaine with 0.75% ropivacaine. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective, randomized, double blinded study including 60 patients were devided into two groups of 30 each, Group-R received 8 ml of 1:1 mixture of 4 ml of 2% lidocaine, 4 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine and 15 IU/ml of hyaluronidase and group-B received 8 ml of 1:1 mixture of 4 ml of 2% lidocaine, 4 ml of 0. 5% bubivacaineand 15 IU/ml of hyaluronidase. Peribulbar block was performed as per Bloomberg's modification of the Davis and Mandel technique where 5 ml of local anesthetic was injected in the infero temporal region and 3 ml of drug was injected in the superi nasal area. Patients were assessed for sensory block, eyelid and occular movements at an interval of 2 minutes. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures, heart rate, oxygen saturation, ECG were monitored non invasively at 1,3,5,8,10,15 and then every 10 minutes till the end of the surgery. Observation and Discussion: Mean time for the onset of sensory blockade was 2.70 ± 6.5 minutes in Group B and 2.63 ± 0.57 minutes in group R with P-value 0.671, showing no significant difference in the onset of sensory blockade. Onset of motor blockade was 6.53 ± 1.81 minutes in group B, and 7.57 ± 1.46 minutes in the group R, the P-value being 0.018 was statistically significant. Regarding the duration of analgesia, our study showed mean time for analgesia lasted for 295 ± 54.63 minutes in group B and 414.67 ± 99.47 in group R with P value 0.001 showing statistically significant prolongation of duration of analgesia with group R. We observed a significant increase of mean IOP in bupivacaine group from 13.333 ± 1.582 mm Hg to 21.966 ± 2.697 mm Hg, whereas in ropivacaine group it increased from 12.766 ± 1.222 mm Hg to 13.0 ± 1.341 mm Hg after peribulbar anaesthesia.
Targeted Metabolomics in High Performance Sports: Differences between the Resting Metabolic Profile of Endurance- and Strength-Trained Athletes in Comparison with Sedentary Subjects over the Course of a Training Year

Little is known about the metabolic differences between endurance and strength athletes in comparison with sedentary subjects under controlled conditions and about variation of the metabolome throughout one year. We hypothesized that (1) the resting metabolic profile differs between sedentary subjects and athletes and between perennially endurance- and strength-trained athletes and (2) varies throughout one year of training. We performed quantitative, targeted metabolomics (Biocrates MxP® Quant 500, Biocrates Life Sciences AG, Innsbruck, Austria) in plasma samples at rest in three groups of male adults, 12 strength-trained (weightlifters, 20 ± 3 years), 10 endurance-trained athletes (runners, 24 ± 3 years), and 12 sedentary subjects (25 ± 4 years) at the end of three training phases (regeneration, preparation, and competition) within one training year. Performance and anthropometric data showed significant (p < 0.05) differences between the groups. Metabolomic analysis revealed different resting metabolic profiles between the groups with acetylcarnitines, di- and triacylglycerols, and glycerophospho- and sphingolipids, as well as several amino acids as the most robust metabolites. Furthermore, we observed changes in free carnitine and 3-methylhistidine in strength-trained athletes throughout the training year. Regular endurance or strength training induces changes in the concentration of several metabolites associated with adaptations of the mitochondrial energy and glycolytic metabolism with concomitant changes in amino acid metabolism and cell signaling.