Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constructions of good mothering during lockdown learning

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ideology of intensive mothering through analysis of posts on lockdown learning in an online mothering community. It is argued that although the school closures seemed to constitute an endorsement and normalisation of intensive mothering ideology [Hays (1996). The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. New Haven: Yale University Press] by the machinery of government, and increased the pressure upon many women, some mothers resisted these expectations in this online forum. The online community served as a space in which intensive mothering expectations were articulated [Lehner-Mear (2020). “Good Mother, Bad Mother? Maternal Identities and Cyber-Agency in the Primary School Homework Debate. ” Gender and Education 33 (3): 285–305] but also offered an arena for cyber-agency, enabling women to express negative emotions, and normalising the rejection of expert constructions of mothering.
Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure and COVID-19 Mortality: A Patient-Level Analysis from New York City.

RATIONALE Risk factors for COVID-19 mortality may include environmental exposures, such as air pollution. OBJECTIVES Determine whether, amongst adults hospitalized with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, long-term air pollution exposure is associated with risk for mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission or intubation. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive patients admitted to seven New York City hospitals from March 8, 2020 to August 30, 2020. The primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes were ICU admission and intubation. We estimated the annual average fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and black carbon (BC) concentrations at patients' residential addresses. We employed double-robust Poisson regression to analyze associations between annual average PM2.5, NO2 and BC exposure and COVID-19 outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, hospital, insurance and time from onset of the pandemic. RESULTS Of the 6,542 patients, 41% were female and aged median 65 years (IQR 53, 77). Over 50% self-identified as a person of color [N=1,687 (26%) Hispanic, N=1,659 (25%) Black]. Air pollution exposures were generally low. Overall, 31% (N=2,044) of the cohort died, 19% (N=1,237) were admitted to the ICU and 16% (1,051) were intubated. In multivariable models, higher long-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with increased risk of mortality (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02, 1.21 per 1µg/m3 increase in PM2.5) and ICU admission (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.00, 1.28 per 1µg/m3 increase in PM2.5). In multivariable models, neither NO2 nor BC exposure was associated with COVID-19 mortality, ICU admission or intubation. CONCLUSIONS Amongst patients hospitalized with COVID-19, higher long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased risk of mortality and ICU admission. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Nodal frequency analysis of grounding systems considering the soil ionization effect

Soil ionization takes place when the current leaking into the earth is high enough to produce an electric field intensity greater than a critical value. This phenomenon lowers the ground impedance and it is similar to an apparent increase in the electrode dimensions. Soil ionization has a great influence on the performance of small grounding electrodes fed by currents of high magnitude (i.e., lightning waves). In this paper, a new way of including the nonlinear soil ionization in the grounding system analysis is proposed. The study of the grounding system is performed in the frequency domain by means of an equivalent electric circuit.
The mechanisms of human lymphoid chromosomal translocations and their medical relevance

Abstract The most common human lymphoid chromosomal translocations involve concurrent failures of the recombination activating gene (RAG) complex and Activation-Induced Deaminase (AID). These are two enzymes that are normally expressed for purposes of the two site-specific DNA recombination processes: V(D)J recombination and class switch recombination (CSR). First, though it is rare, a low level of expression of AID can introduce long-lived T:G mismatch lesions at 20–600 bp fragile zones. Second, the V(D)J recombination process can occasionally fail to rejoin coding ends, and this failure may permit an opportunity for Artemis:DNA-dependent kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) to convert the T:G mismatch sites at the fragile zones into double-strand breaks. The 20–600 bp fragile zones must be, at least transiently, in a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) state for the first step to occur, because AID only acts on ssDNA. Here we discuss the key DNA sequence features that lead to AID action at a fragile zone, which are (a) the proximity and density of strings of cytosine nucleotides (C-strings) that cause a B/A-intermediate DNA conformation; (b) overlapping AID hotspots that contain a methyl CpG (WRCG), which AID converts to a long-lived T:G mismatch; and (c) transcription, which, though not essential, favors increased ssDNA in the fragile zone. We also summarize chromosomal features of the focal fragile zones in lymphoid malignancies and discuss the clinical relevance of understanding the translocation mechanisms. Many of the key principles covered here are also relevant to chromosomal translocations in non-lymphoid somatic cells as well.
Similarities, Differences and Synergisms Between HERA and LCA—An Analysis at Three Levels

ABSTRACT Linkages between Human and Environmental Risk Assessment (HERA) and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be analyzed at three levels: the basic equations to describe environmental behavior and dose-response relationships of chemicals; the overall model structure of these tools; and the applications of the tools. At level 1 few differences exist: both tools use essentially the same fate and effect models, including their coefficients and data. At level 2 distinctive differences emerge: regional or life-cycle perspective, emission pulses or fluxes, scope of chemicals and types of impacts, use of characterization factors, spatial and temporal detail, aggregation of effects, and the functional unit as basis of the assessment. Although the two tools typically differ in all these aspects, only the functional unit issue renders the tools fundamentally different, expressing itself also in some main characteristics of the modeling structure. This impedes full integration, which is underpinned in mathematical terms. At level 3 the aims of the tools are complementary: quantified risk estimates of chemicals for HERA versus quantified product assessment for LCA. Here, beneficial synergism is possible between the two tools, as illustrated by some cases. These also illustrate that where full integration is suggested, in practice this is not achieved, thus in fact supporting the conclusions.
Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms by which Seed-Borne Endophytic Fungi, Epichloë gansuensis, Increases the Tolerance of Achnatherum inebrians to NaCl Stress

Seed-borne endophyte Epichloë gansuensis enhance NaCl tolerance in Achnatherum inebrians and increase its biomass. However, the molecular mechanism by which E. gansuensis increases the tolerance of host grasses to NaCl stress is unclear. Hence, we firstly explored the full-length transcriptome information of A. inebrians by PacBio RS II. In this work, we obtained 738,588 full-length non-chimeric reads, 36,105 transcript sequences and 27,202 complete CDSs from A. inebrians. We identified 3558 transcription factors (TFs), 15,945 simple sequence repeats and 963 long non-coding RNAs of A. inebrians. The present results show that 2464 and 1817 genes were differentially expressed by E. gansuensis in the leaves of E+ and E− plants at 0 mM and 200 mM NaCl concentrations, respectively. In addition, NaCl stress significantly regulated 4919 DEGs and 502 DEGs in the leaves of E+ and E− plants, respectively. Transcripts associated with photosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, amino acids metabolism, flavonoid biosynthetic process and WRKY TFs were differentially expressed by E. gansuensis; importantly, E. gansuensis up-regulated biology processes (brassinosteroid biosynthesis, oxidation–reduction, cellular calcium ion homeostasis, carotene biosynthesis, positive regulation of proteasomal ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis) of host grass under NaCl stress, which indicated an increase in the ability of host grasses’ adaptation to NaCl stress. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the molecular mechanism for E. gansuensis to increase the tolerance to salt stress in the host, which provides a theoretical basis for the molecular breed to create salt-tolerant forage with endophytes.
A new silicon gas-flow sensor based on lift force

This paper presents the first silicon-flow sensor based on lift force. The sensor is a bulk-micromachined airfoil structure that uses the lift force as a sensing principle. The lift force acts normal to the flow in contrast to drag-force sensor types, where the force acts in the flow direction. The sensor utilizes the special distribution of the lift force along the length of the sensor structure. Since the sensor, like an airfoil, is mounted at a small angle to the flow, it induces very little flow disturbance. The sensor consists of two plates connected to a center beam. Each plate is 5/spl times/5-mm square with a thickness of 30 /spl mu/m. The flow-induced forces deflect the two plates in the same direction, but with different magnitude. The deflections are detected by polysilicon strain gauges. The differential mode bridge makes the sensor insensitive to common mode deflection, e.g., acceleration forces. The lift-force principle is characterized using fundamental airfoil theory. The sensor has been experimentally verified, and a flow sensitivity of 7.4 /spl mu/V/V/(m/s)/sup 2/ has been measured in both flow directions.
Inverse-kinematics-based control of a redundantly actuated platform for rehabilitation

Abstract The paper introduces the control of a redundantly actuated parallel mechanism for ankle rehabilitation which is based on online inverse kinematics calculation to generate required actuating parameters to control the mechanism and achieve the required dynamic response. The geometry of the mechanism is described and the design parameters are investigated in the analysis of singularity and dexterity. The dynamic model is developed and the tuning of the control gains is performed by analysing the level of actuation conflict and tracking error that have been minimized by varying the controller parameters. The paper further examines the actuation conflict and evaluates its association with the control parameters. Both simulation and experiments were carried out to implement the analysis and control strategy in the mechanism.
The effect of value network integration on evaluations of modern, classic and retro brands

by Kivilcim Dogerlioglu Demir, Ph.D. Washington State University May 2010 Chair: Patriya Tansuhaj This dissertation fills an important gap in the con sumer value and brand literature by demonstrating that value network integration (defin ed as the perceived overlap between two value networks—modernism and conventionalism) might have important effects on consumers’ evaluations of modern, classic and retro brands. I n essence, it is an investigation into how consumers respond to different styles of brands (mo dern, classic and retro) depending on their value network integration (VNI) levels. Bringing together various streams of relevant resea rch nd highlighting gaps in the literature, the first essay presents a theoretical framework for studying modern, classic and retro brands and outlines future directions for consumer researchers. In particular, drawing from the modernization, brand and value literature, this pap er discusses the role of an individual difference variable (VNI) as well as situational va riables (environmental cues and regulatory focus) in explaining variations in evaluations of m odern, classic and retro brands. Second essay is an empirical test of the proposed framework. Mo re specifically, it shows that when low VNI
Viral Infections During Pregnancy: The Big Challenge Threatening Maternal and Fetal Health

Abstract Viral infections during pregnancy are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal and fetal mortality, pregnancy loss, premature labor, and congenital anomalies. Mammalian gestation encounters an immunological paradox wherein the placenta balances the tolerance of an allogeneic fetus with protection against pathogens. Viruses cannot easily transmit from mother to fetus due to physical and immunological barriers at the maternal-fetal interface posing a restricted threat to the fetus and newborns. Despite this, the unknown strategies utilized by certain viruses could weaken the placental barrier to trigger severe maternal and fetal health issues especially through vertical transmission, which was not fully understood until now. In this review, we summarize diverse aspects of the major viral infections relevant to pregnancy, including the characteristics of pathogenesis, related maternal-fetal complications, and the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of vertical transmission. We highlight the fundamental signatures of complex placental defense mechanisms, which will prepare us to fight the next emerging and re-emerging infectious disease in the pregnancy population.
Brake reaction times and driver behavior analysis

In his review on driver brake reaction times (RTs), Green (2000) rightly criticizes attempts to seek a canonical brake RT, and proposes to determine expected brake RT for specific situations. However, based on his analysis, he presents a series of values for expected, unexpected, and surprise situations that appear to generalize over a variety of different driver tasks and traffic situations without sufficient concern for urgency or criticality of the situations. This sampling problem may lead easily to biased and somewhat arbitrary estimates. Thus, instead of 1.25 sec for "unexpected" situations, the median yellow response time for the critical conditions (at short time-to-stop-line) is rather below 1.0 sec, and instead of 1.5 sec mean brake RT for surprise situations, available on-road data suggest that in fairly urgent situations-at time-to-collision of about 4.0 sec-unalerted drivers are able to react to an obstacle by braking at an average latency of 1.0 to 1.3 sec, depending on site. More emphasis s.
Generation of acoustic pulses by baffled plane pistons

One of the earliest investigations of the acoustic disturbance created in a fluid of semi-infinite extent by the movement of a piston surrounded by an infinite plane rigid baffle was undertaken in 1878 by Rayleigh [1], who studied the harmonic oscillations of a piston of arbitrary shape. In subsequent years, a number of authors have presented methods for studying the “baffled piston problem”. A large portion of the literature has been concerned with a circular piston and particular attention has been devoted to the case in which the small amplitude oscillations of the piston are harmonic. References to these earlier works are given by Chadwick and Tupholme [2]. A solution to the more general problem in which the normal velocity of a circular piston is an arbitrary function of time was derived from the corresponding time-harmonic solution by Oberhettinger [3] and obtained more directly by Miles [4, see also 5]. Kozina and Makarov [6] considered the acoustic fields produced by the time-dependent motion of an arbitrarily-shaped piston.
The luminal AAA+ ATPase torsinA mediates distinct mechanisms of nuclear-cytoplasmic communication by adopting different functional assembly states

Chemical and mechanical nuclear-cytoplasmic communication across the nuclear envelope (NE) is largely mediated by the nuclear pore complex (NPC) and the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex, respectively. While NPC and LINC complex assembly are functionally related, the mechanisms responsible for this relationship remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated how the luminal ATPases associated with various cellular activities (AAA+) protein torsinA promotes NPC and LINC complex assembly using fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS), quantitative photobleaching analyses, and functional cellular assays. We report that torsinA controls LINC complex-dependent nuclear-cytoskeletal coupling as a soluble hexameric AAA+ protein and interphase NPC biogenesis as a membrane-associated helical polymer. These findings help resolve the conflicting models of torsinA function that were recently proposed based on in vitro structural studies. Our results will enable future studies of the role of defective nuclear-cytoplasmic communication in DYT1 dystonia and other diseases caused by mutations in torsinA.
Process and device simulations aimed at improving the emitter region performance of silicon PERC solar cells

Achieved levels of silicon-based passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) solar cells laboratory and module-level conversion efficiencies are still far from the theoretically achievable Auger limit of 29.4% for silicon solar cells, prominently due to emitter recombination and resistive losses. The emitter region in PERC devices is formed by using either ion implantation followed by a diffusion process or POCl3 diffusion. In ion-implanted emitter-based PERC, the process variables such as dose, energy, diffusion time, and temperature play a vital role in defining the characteristics of the emitter region. Detailed investigation of these parameters could provide a pathway to mitigate the recombination as well as resistive losses; however, it requires a considerable budget to optimize these parameters through a purely experimental approach. Therefore, advanced industrial standard process and device simulation are perceived in this work to carry out the comprehensive study of process variables. Investigation of ion implantation and diffusion process parameters on the PV performance of an upright pyramid textured, industrial standard stacked dielectric passivated PERC solar cell is carried out to deliver 22.8% conversion efficiency with improved PV parameters such as short circuit current density (J SC) of 40.8 mA cm−2, open-circuit voltage (V OC) of 686 mV, and fill-factor (FF) of 81.54% at optimized implantation and diffusion parameters, such as implantation dose of 5 × 1015 cm−2 with energy 30 keV followed 950 °C diffusion temperature and 30 min of diffusion time. The performance of the optimized PERC device is compared with already published large area screen printed contact-based device. This work may open up a window for the experimental work to understand the influence of process parameters on the emitter region to develop the highly efficient PERC solar cell in the future.
Price Premiums in the Mist

Consumers shopping at the Oregon State University (OSU) and Auburn University (AU) bookstores were offered a choice between ecolabeled and non-ecolabeled wood pencils. Aside from the presence or absence of an ecolabel, the pencils were identical in all other respects. Sales of each pencil type were tracked during a number of pricing conditions: prices equal for each pencil type, a 20 percent premium on ecolabeled pencils, and a 100 percent ecolabeled premium (at OSU only). Many forest certification proponents claim that ecolabels are associated with increased sales, price premiums, or both. To begin clearing the mist shrouding such claims, comparisons were made between the quantity sold of each pencil type under each pricing condition. Our results show that OSU and AU pencil consumers were largely indifferent to the presence of an ecolabel. However, as the price premium gorilla gets bigger, more and more consumers abandoned their indifference and purchased the cheaper non-ecolabeled pencils.
Phenotypical and Myopathological Consequences of Compound Heterozygous Missense and Nonsense Variants in SLC18A3

Background: Presynaptic forms of congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) due to pathogenic variants in SLC18A3 impairing the synthesis and recycling of acetylcholine (ACh) have recently been described. SLC18A3 encodes the vesicular ACh transporter (VAChT), modulating the active transport of ACh at the neuromuscular junction, and homozygous loss of VAChT leads to lethality. Methods: Exome sequencing (ES) was carried out to identify the molecular genetic cause of the disease in a 5-year-old male patient and histological, immunofluorescence as well as electron- and CARS-microscopic studies were performed to delineate the muscle pathology, which has so far only been studied in VAChT-deficient animal models. Results: ES unraveled compound heterozygous missense and nonsense variants (c.315G>A, p.Trp105* and c.1192G>C, p.Asp398His) in SLC18A3. Comparison with already-published cases suggests a more severe phenotype including impaired motor and cognitive development, possibly related to a more severe effect of the nonsense variant. Therapy with pyridostigmine was only partially effective while 3,4 diaminopyridine showed no effect. Microscopic investigation of the muscle biopsy revealed reduced fibre size and a significant accumulation of lipid droplets. Conclusions: We suggest that nonsense variants have a more detrimental impact on the clinical manifestation of SLC18A3-associated CMS. The impact of pathogenic SLC18A3 variants on muscle fibre integrity beyond the effect of denervation is suggested by the build-up of lipid aggregates. This in turn implicates the importance of proper VAChT-mediated synthesis and recycling of ACh for lipid homeostasis in muscle cells. This hypothesis is further supported by the pathological observations obtained in previously published VAChT-animal models.
Wood and bark water content and monthly stem growth in Amazonian tree species

ABSTRACT The knowledge of how trees respond to microclimate variability is important in the face of climate changes. The objectives of this study were to examine the variation in wood water content (WWC) and bark water content (BWC) in Amazonian trees, as well as to assess the effect of microclimatic variability on monthly diameter growth rates (DGR). We extracted a core sample from each of 120 trees (28 species) and determined WWC and BWC on a fresh matter basis. DGR was measured monthly during the 12 months of 2007. The effect of microclimatic variability on DGR was analyzed by redundancy analysis. Average BWC and WWC were 53.4% and 34.7%, respectively, with a large variation in stem water content among species (BWC = 36.2−67.1%; WWC = 26.4−50.8%). There was no significant relationship between stem diameter and WWC or BWC, nor between DGR and wood density (p > 0.05). However, wood density was negatively correlated with WWC (r s = −0.69, p < 0.001). The high BWC emphasizes the importance of the bark tissue in Amazonian trees. Contrary to expectations, variability of monthly irradiance, rainfall and temperature had no effect on DGR (p > 0.20). The unresponsiveness of DGR to microclimatic variability, even in an above-average rainy year such as 2007, indicates that other parts of the tree may have greater priority than the stem for carbon allocation during the dry season.