Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alzheimer’s Disease: A Brief History of Immunotherapies Targeting Amyloid β

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. Worldwide, around 50 million people suffer from dementia and the prediction is that the number will more than triple by 2050, as the population ages. Extracellular protein aggregation and plaque deposition as well as accumulation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, all leading to neurodegeneration, are the hallmarks of brains with Alzheimer’s disease. Therapeutic strategies including active and passive immunizations have been widely explored in the last two decades. Several compounds have shown promising results in many AD animal models. To date, only symptomatic treatments are available and because of the alarming epidemiological data, novel therapeutic strategies to prevent, mitigate, or delay the onset of AD are required. In this mini-review, we focus on our understanding of AD pathobiology and discuss current active and passive immunomodulating therapies targeting amyloid-β protein.
Color Similarity in Visual Search

In the present study, we investigated the role of phenomenologically perceived color differences between stimuli in determining visual search efficiency. We contrasted this with predictions based on the categorical color status, as proposed by Wolfe's Guided Search 2 model. We first asked participants to rate the color similarity of each pair of stimuli (pairwise comparison). The results were combined using multidimensional scaling to produce a similarity metric, which was subsequently used to define stimulus similarities for two visual search experiments. The results demonstrate that the time required by participants to find a target is more adequately explained by the perceived similarity of colors than by color categories.
Baire trees, bad norms and the Namioka property

Many positive results are known to hold for the class of Banach spaces known as Asplund spaces and it was for a time conjectured that Asplund spaces should admit equivalent norms with good smoothness and strict convexity properties. A counterexample to these conjectures, in the form of a space of continuous real-valued functions on a suitably chosen tree, was presented in [5]. In this paper we show that the bad behaviour of that example is shared by a wider class of Banach spaces, associated with a wider class of trees. The immediate aim of this extension of the original result is to answer a question posed by Deville and Godefroy [3]. They introduced and studied a subclass of Asplund spaces, those with Corson compact bidual balls, and asked whether this additional assumption is enough to guarantee the existence of nice renormings. We show that it is not.
Cloud‐base fluxes in the cumulus‐capped boundary layer

A closure for the fluxes of mass, heat, and moisture at cloud base in the cumulus‐capped boundary layer is developed. The cloud‐base mass flux is obtained from a simplifed turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) budget for the sub‐cloud layer, in which cumulus convection is assumed to be associated with a transport of TKE from the sub‐cloud layer to the cloud layer.
How do cell crowding and starvation affect avascular tumor growth of the EMT6/Ro tumor?

Here we re-examine experimental in vitro data for the EMT6/Ro tumor volume and viable rim thickness. This shows that the growth speed is constant in time, and independent of nutrient concentration at large concentrations, but that the viable rim thickness increases in this high concentration regime. We then present a simple mechanistic reaction-diffusion equation that includes crowding and starvation effects, and show that the model qualitatively captures the experimental observations. Moreover, the model predicts that the cancer cell concentration is characterised by a wave pulse (soliton), and the pulse shape is explored through zero’th order perturbation analysis corresponding to large wave speeds. It is shown that this zero’th order term is dominant for the experimental condition, further indicating that the non-linear reaction governs the pulse characteristic shape. Finally, at low nutrient concentrations we find that the front is a pulled-front, that is, the growth speed is determined by the cell multiplication at the wave front edge in accordance with earlier modelling approaches.
Volume relaxation of soda-lime silicate glasses below glass transition temperature

Structural relaxation is a widely known phenomenon that occurs in glassy systems, which still attracts strong industrial and research interest. Although the volume change associated with structural relaxation is well described by the Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts function, its origin, particularly from a glass structural viewpoint, is not clearly defined. To understand the behavior of structural relaxation, in this study, we performed volume relaxation evaluations, Raman spectroscopy assessments, and surface resistivity measurements before and after annealing at 50 K below the glass transition temperature Tg of soda-lime silicate glasses with the same Tg but different fragilities. The combined results indicated that the following changes in the glass structure occurred during the structural relaxation: (1) reorganization of the SiO2 network; (2) transfer of Na ions from the ion channel region into the SiO2 network region; and (3) segmentation of the ion channel region in the modified random network model.
The rate of coagulation of a dilute polydisperse system of sedimenting spheres

We consider a dilute dispersion containing small rigid particles in a Newtonian fluid. These spherical particles are of different size and density, and they settle relative to one another under the action of gravity. When the particles become close, they exert an attractive van der Waals force on each other, and doublets are formed when two particles come into contact as a result of this force. The rate at which doublets are formed is calculated using a trajectory analysis to follow the relative motion of pairs of particles. We restrict our attention to dispersions where the Péclet number is large (negligible Brownian motion) and where the Reynolds number is small (negligible fluid inertia). However, the effects of the inertia of the particles on their trajectories are included, and these are measured by the Stokes number. A key dimensionless parameter is identified, denoted by Qij which provides a measure of the relative importance of gravity and the van der Waals force. An asymptotic solution to the trajectory equations is presented for large values of this parameter in the case of zero Stokes number. This asymptotic solution is then complemented by numerical computations of the particle trajectories. Application to typical hydrosol and aerosol dispersions is presented, and, in particular, a comparison is made between the effects of van der Waals forces and Maxwell slip in promoting collisions between aerosol particles.
A performance measurement framework combining DEA and balanced scorecard for the UK health sector

Balanced scorecard (BSC) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) are two popular performance measurement tools for measuring performance of organisational units. However, several shortcomings of the two tools have also been highlighted. A BSC readily provides complex business information to managers at a glance and facilitates improved decision-making. However, BSC in its original form does not include any objective methodology, and when many perspectives are considered in the BSC framework with several measures in each perspective, the ability of managers to comprehend the huge volume of information becomes limited. We propose in this paper that BSC can be advantageously integrated with DEA. Such integration can help overcome some of the shortcomings of the latter, such as the discriminating ability and the problem of a firm with extraordinary performance in terms of only one measure achieving high performance scores. The proposed integration of BSC with DEA, called the balanced efficiency assessment method in this paper, is applied to balanced performance evaluation of health authorities (HAs) in the UK. Six BSC perspectives are employed to evaluate the performance of HAs. Different sets of inputs and outputs are used in a DEA model for each perspective, and the DEA performance scores are aggregated across all the perspectives using arithmetic mean. It is found that there is no single HA that performs consistently well in terms of all the six perspectives and that a HA that performs well in terms of one perspective does not seem to be doing well in terms of others.
Laboratory and Field Testbed Evaluation of the Performance of Recycled Asphalt Mixture Using High-Penetration Asphalt

The application of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) on a large scale is highly promoted to meet the current needs of carbon neutrality and sustainable development purposes. However, a majority of RAP mixture productions are currently relying on the restoring effects provided by the rejuvenators. Therefore, the study focuses on the feasibility of using high penetration asphalt binder (HPAB) in RAP mixture as a replacement for conventional rejuvenators. In this study, a recycled asphalt pavement mixture containing HPAB (RAP-H) was developed to resolve the cracking issue of RAP pavement in winter seasons owing to the rigid behavior of aged binders. To verify the applicability of the RAP-H mixture, the results of the quality standard test and mechanical performance test were compared with the reference RAP mixture having rejuvenator (RAP-R). Through the fatigue cracking test, by using Overlay Tester (OT) device, it was found that all specimens did not reach 93% load reduction after 1000 OT cycles, indicating a satisfied stress-bearing capacity. Additionally, the highest dynamic modulus of 27,275 MPa was found in the modified HPAB mixture, and this result is 4.4% higher than that of the reference mix. In the full-scale testbed, the long-term field applicability of the proposed approach was verified through field test construction. The measurement in practice reveals that the elastic modulus of RAP-H back-calculated from the FWD (Falling Weight Deflectometer) test is increased by more than 50% compared to RAP-R, which resulted in excellent performance characteristics of the HPAB pavement layer. In addition to the efficiency in the surface layer, an improved elastic modulus of the sub-base and subgrade layers in the HPAB section was found to be at 28.6% and 19.5%, respectively, compared to the RAP-R mix. In general, the performance of RAP-H satisfied all of the domestic and international quality and performance standards. The field test results confirmed the possibility of field application by showing performance higher than conventional recycled asphalt pavement.
Consistent estimation of scaled coefficients

On etudie l'estimation du coefficient β dans des modeles d'index simple tels que E(y/X)=F(α+X'β), ou F est mal specifiee ou inconnue. On etablit une relation entre les derivees de comportement et les estimateurs de covariance
Urate Transporter 1 Can Be a Therapeutic Target Molecule for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global health problem for which there are no curative drug treatments. Hyperuricemia is one of risk factors for CKD. The evidence on effects of uric acid (UA)-lowering treatments on the progression of CKD was very limited and previous meta-analyses used only trials which primarily used xanthin oxidase (XO) inhibitors because the reports on fulminant hepatitis due to benzbromarone kept us from using uricosuric agents for hyperuricemia patients. Dotinurad, a novel selective urate reabsorption inhibitor for the treatment of hyperuricemia, reduces serum UA levels by selectively inhibiting urate transporter 1 (URAT1). We retrospectively picked up patients who had taken dotinurad from June 2018 to August 2021 and compared metabolic parameters at baseline with the data at 3 and 6 months after the start of dotinurad. We found 84 patients, and approximately 74% of patients were complicated with CKD. After the start of dotinurad, improvements in serum lipids, systolic blood pressure, body weight, and albuminuria, in addition to reduction in serum UA, were observed. Dotinurad increased urinary UA excretion, and was effective to reduce serum UA in patients with both UA underexcretion type and renal UA overload type. Furthermore, urinary UA excretion was significantly and negatively correlated with serum creatine levels at baseline and at 6 months after the start of dotinurad, and the change in urinary UA excretion after 3 months was significantly and negatively correlated with change in serum creatine levels. The property of dotinurad, which selectively inhibits URAT1, but not other UA transporters, such as ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G, and 2 (ABCG2), which ABCG2 is a UA and uremic toxin exporter, may be beneficially associated with pathology of CKD. URAT1 can be a therapeutic target molecule for CKD and DKD.
IgA Vasculitis with scrotal involvement - a rare presentation in adults

ABSTRACT IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is a small-vessel vasculitis common in children but rare in adults. It is usually an auto-limited disease in children but has a more severe course and worse prognosis in adults. The classical manifestations are non-thrombocytopenic purpura, arthralgias, gastrointestinal involvement and renal involvement. Herein we report a case of a 39-year-old man with a rash of the lower limbs associated with testicular and lower abdominal pain. The initial study revealed increased inflammatory biomarkers and enlarged left testis with bilateral ischemic areas on doppler ultrasound. A cutaneous biopsy later revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis, confirming the diagnosis of IgAV with scrotal involvement. The patient started prednisolone, with improvement in the first week and sustained remission after two years of follow-up. This case report describes an adult with IgAV and scrotal involvement, which is rarely reported in adults and appears to be different from the one in children. The prevalence of scrotal involvement is presumably underestimated. In all men with IgAV, a scrotal examination should be performed and ultrasonography accordingly since it affects the treatment and follow-up. Recommendations for IgAV diagnosis and treatment in adults are still lacking and more research is needed.
A new approach for the computation of bearing capacity factor Nc: Terzaghi and Prandtl mechanisms

Abstract A new approach is suggested for the computation of bearing capacity factor, Nc considering Terzaghi and Prandtl failure mechanisms. The proposed analysis makes use of Kötter’s equation coupled with limit equilibrium conditions. It successfully demonstrates the applicability of Kötter’s equation to the solution of limit equilibrium problems involving plane or curved failure surfaces. Kötter’s equation also enables using moment equilibrium condition to locate the point of application of the passive thrust.
Enhanced Sonophotocatalytic Degradation of Acid Red 14 Using Fe3O4@SiO2/PAEDTC@MIL-101 (Fe) Based on Metal-Organic Framework

Here, the magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2/PAEDTC@MIL-101 (Fe) with a new core-shell structure was synthesized, and its sonophotocatalytic properties were evaluated for acid red 14 (AR14) degradation. Particle characterizations were determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), and the analysis results offered an excellent synthesis of mesoporous particles. Fe3O4@SiO2/PAEDTC@MIL-101 (Fe)/UV/US showed high degradation kinetics rate (0.0327 min−1) compared to sonocatalytic processes (0.0181 min−1), photocatalytic (0218 min−1), sonolysis (0.008 min−1), and photolysis (0.005 min−1). Maximum removal efficiencies of AR14 (100%) and total organic carbon (69.96%) were obtained at pH of 5, catalyst mass of 0.5 g/L, initial AR14 concentration of 50 mg/L, and ultrasound power of 36 W. Evaluation of BOD5/COD ratio during dye treatment confirmed that the sonophotocatalysis process can be useful for converting major contaminant molecules into biodegradable compounds. After recycling eight times, the prepared composite still has sonophotocatalytic degradation stability above 90% for AR14. Scavenging tests confirmed that holes (h+) and hydroxyl (•OH) were the pivotal agents in the decomposition system. Based on the results, the synthesized sample can be suggested as an excellent and promising sonophotocatalyst for the degradation of AR14 dye and its conversion into biodegradable compounds.
Autoregressive Errors in Singular Systems of Equations

We consider a system of m general linear models, where the system error vector has a singular covariance matrix owing to various “adding up” requirements and, in addition, the error vector obeys an autoregressive scheme. The paper reformulates the problem considered earlier by Berndt and Savin [8] (BS), as well as others before them; the solution, thus obtained, is far simpler, being the natural extension of a restricted least-squares-like procedure to a system of equations. This reformulation enables us to treat all parameters symmetrically, and discloses a set of conditions which is different from, and much less stringent than, that exhibited in the framework provided by BS. Finally, various extensions are discussed to (a) the case where the errors obey a stable autoregression scheme of order r; (b) the case where the errors obey a moving average scheme of order r; (c) the case of “dynamic” vector distributed lag models, that is, the case where the model is formulated as autoregressive (in the dependent variables), and moving average (in the explanatory variables), and the errors are specified to be i.i. d.
Corrugated long-period fiber gratings as strain, torsion, and bending sensors

We present a novel corrugated long-period fiber grating whose transmission spectra are highly sensitive to the applied tensile strain, torsion, and bending due to the periodical index modulation created and changed by these mechanic forces. The induced index modulation can also be experimentally characterized by using a built-in fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The long period fiber gratings possess the following unique properties when used as sensors. As a tensile strain sensor, its resonance loss varies but resonance wavelength remains stable. As a torsion sensor, the wavelength varies with the applied twist rate. As a bending sensor, the cladding-mode resonance grows with the bending curvature.
Electric probe measurements of high-voltage sheath collapse in cathodic arc plasmas due to surface charging of insulators

High-voltage sheath dynamics near a negatively biased substrate in cathodic arc plasmas are investigated using a biased electrical probe. Since the sheath is devoid of electrons, the sheath boundary can be inferred from the position where a positively biased probe draws no electron current. The extent of the sheath is primarily dependent on the plasma density, the ion velocity and the applied voltage. Using insulating substrates, the sheath boundary eventually retracts due to a dynamic reduction in the applied voltage. This reduction is caused by positive charge accumulation on the insulator surface. The collapse time of the sheath is dependent on the plasma density and the substrate characteristics. We believe this to be the first direct observation of the reduction in the width of the high-voltage sheath when implanting an electrical insulator using plasma-based ion implantation (PBII). This information is important when determining the optimal parameters for plasma-based ion implantation of insulators. Our measurements are compared with theoretical predictions based on the Child-Langmuir equations for high-voltage sheaths. By choosing appropriate values for the secondary electron coefficient the theory could be made to fit the experimental data. A discussion of the validity of the choice of secondary electron coefficients is presented.
Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of La0.8Ca0.2MnO3 nanoparticles tuned by particle size

La0.8Ca0. 2MnO3 particles with the sizes from 17 to 43 nm have been prepared using the sol-gel method and the magnetic properties are systematically studied. The existence of the blocking of the superparamagnetism (SPM), freezing of super-spin-glass, and surface-spin-glass is evidenced. It is found that a core-shell structure can be responsible for the magnetism behavior of the nanoparticles. The phase transition from paramagnetism (PM) to ferromagnetism (FM) is modified from first order to second order as the particle size reduced. The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) thus is modified by the changed magnetism. The observed temperature interval of the magnetic entropy change broadens as the particle size reduced. The magnetic entropy change of superparamagnetic particles has been calculated based on the core-shell model. The relative cooling power (RCP) can be tuned dramatically by particle size due to the change of spontaneous magnetization of the core and the changed ratio of the shell and surface, which show.
ALGEBRAS WITH COLLAPSING MONOMIALS. II

A semigroup S is called collapsing if there exists a positive integer n such that for every subset of n elements in S at least two distinct words of length n on these letters are equal in S. Let U(A) denote the group of units of an associative algebra A over an infinite field of characteristic p > 0. We show that if A is unitally generated by its nilpotent elements then the following conditions are equivalent: U(A) is collapsing; U(A) satisfies some semigroup identity; U(A) satisfies an Engel identity; A satisfies an Engel identity when viewed as a Lie algebra; and, A satisfies a Morse identity. The characteristic zero analogue of this result was proved by the author in a previous paper.