Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Investigation of Model Forensic Bone in Soil Environments Studied Using Infrared Spectroscopy

Infrared spectroscopy has been used to examine changes to bone chemistry as a result of soil burial. Pig carcasses were buried as part of a controlled field study, and pig bone was used in soil environments established in the laboratory. The variables of species type, bone pretreatment, soil type and pH, moisture content, temperature, and burial time were investigated. The crystallinity index (CI) and the organic and carbonate contents of the bones were monitored. The data revealed decreasing trends in the organic and carbonate contents and an increase in the CI of the bone with burial time. An acidic soil environment and soil type are the factors that have the most influence on bone chemistry as a result of burial. The study demonstrates the potential of infrared spectroscopy as a straightforward method of monitoring the changes associated with aging of bones in a variety of soil environments.
An Analytic Hierarchy Process Based Approach for Optimal Road Side Unit Placement in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Road-Side Units (RSUs) act as a backbone for Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs). The location and density of RSUs largely affect the performance of VANETs. Although, large number of RSUs guarantee better coverage and performance, it results in high capital and operational expenditure. Hence, optimal placement of RSUs is considered as an important problem in VANETs. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to solve the optimal RSU placement problem using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Our evaluations show that AHP requires lesser number of RSU deployment which eventually leads to lower overall cost. We also analyze coverage achieved by defining expected RSU-to-RSU delay as a performance metric. We find that our AHP based solution consistently outperforms in terms of delay compared to uniform and hot spot placement strategies for various vehicle densities. Obtained results are verified using extensive simulation.
An Empirical Review of the Neural Underpinnings of Receiving and Giving Social Support: Implications for Health

Abstract Decades of research have demonstrated strong links between social ties and health. Although considerable evidence has shown that social support can attenuate downstream physiological stress responses that are relevant to health, the neurocognitive mechanisms that translate perceptions of social ties into altered physiological responses are still not fully understood. This review integrates research from social and affective neuroscience to illuminate some of the neural mechanisms involved in social support processes, which may further our understanding of the ways in which social support influences health. This review focuses on two types of social support that have been shown to relate to health: receiving and giving social support. As the neural basis of receiving support, this article reviews the hypothesis that receiving support may benefit health through the activation of neural regions that respond to safety and inhibit threat-related neural and physiological responding. This article will then review neuroimaging studies in which participants were primed with or received support during a negative experience as well as studies in which self-reports of perceived support were correlated with neural responses to a negative experience. As the neural basis of giving support, this article reviews the hypothesis that neural regions involved in maternal caregiving behavior may be critical for the health benefits of support-giving through the inhibition of threat-related neural and physiological responding. Neuroimaging studies in which participants provided support to others or engaged in other related forms of prosocial behavior will then be reviewed. Implications of these findings for furthering our understanding of the relationships between social support and health are discussed.
Sexual selection on protamine and transition nuclear protein expression in mouse species

Post-copulatory sexual selection in the form of sperm competition is known to influence the evolution of male reproductive proteins in mammals. The relationship between sperm competition and regulatory evolution, however, remains to be explored. Protamines and transition nuclear proteins are involved in the condensation of sperm chromatin and are expected to affect the shape of the sperm head. A hydrodynamically efficient head allows for fast swimming velocity and, therefore, more competitive sperm. Previous comparative studies in rodents have documented a significant association between the level of sperm competition (as measured by relative testes mass) and DNA sequence evolution in both the coding and promoter sequences of protamine 2. Here, we investigate the influence of sexual selection on protamine and transition nuclear protein mRNA expression in the testes of eight mouse species that differ widely in levels of sperm competition. We also examined the relationship between relative gene expression levels and sperm head shape, assessed using geometric morphometrics. We found that species with higher levels of sperm competition express less protamine 2 in relation to protamine 1 and transition nuclear proteins. Moreover, there was a significant association between relative protamine 2 expression and sperm head shape. Reduction in the relative abundance of protamine 2 may increase the competitive ability of sperm in mice, possibly by affecting sperm head shape. Changes in gene regulatory sequences thus seem to be the basis of the evolutionary response to sexual selection in these proteins.
Indirect space-vector PWM technique for three to nine phase matrix converters

This paper develops indirect space vector modulation technique for a three- to nine-phase matrix converter. The proposed technique is based on the double-stage configuration in which the matrix converter is modeled as three-phase rectifier followed by a nine-phase inverter. Both rectifier and inverter stages are controlled using space-vector modulation technique. In the rectifier stage, the modulation is based on input currents space-vectors. However, the modulation of the inverter stage is based on output voltages space-vectors. Two different schemes are suggested to control the inverter stage. In the first scheme, only largest space vectors are used in order to achieve maximum voltage transfer ratio of the inverter stage. In the second scheme, eight active vectors are used in each sector in order to minimize the switching stresses and to give a sinusoidal output voltage. It is observed that, using the first scheme results in achieving a higher value of the maximum overall voltage transfer ratio. However, the output voltages contain a significant amount of lower order harmonics. On the other hand, sinusoidal output voltages with a reduced value are obtained by second scheme. A sample of the obtained simulation results is presented to support the viability the proposed technique.
Social Media for Networking and Participatory Professional Learning

There is widespread acceptance of the need for professional learning opportunities and support for teachers and for academics transitioning into the higher education workforce. In Australia and globally, social networking sites (SNS) provide teachers with formal and informal networking opportunities. While higher education institutions are responding to an everchanging digital environment, scholarly work aimed at understanding optimal use of, and interaction with new Web 2.0 capabilities is a pressing area of concern among academics. Limited studies are available on how and why teachers in higher education employ social networking tools to create learning networks, share professional ideas and build creative collegiality. This scoping review article investigates motivations for the adoption of SNS in higher education and the benefits and opportunities presented by social networking tools such as blogs and Twitter in teacher professional learning and practice. Results show that academics are interested in connecting with peers, sharing knowledge and networking in open participatory forums as means of building community and accessing resources. The findings indicate that the affordances of microblogging and SNS are valued by academics and that they appreciate the immediacy, relational aspects and interactions that expand their professional networks.
Effects of Antihypertensive Drug Treatment on the Risk of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment

Dementia is a common and serious health problem that affects 33 million persons globally. With the increase in life expectancy, the prevalence of dementia is expected to reach 81.1 million persons by 2040. Dementia impairs quality of life and is associated with profound disease burden, morbidity, and mortality in both patients and caregivers. Therefore, identifying measures to prevent dementia is a research priority. Midlife hypertension has increased the risk of dementia in large prospective cohort studies. Researchers have investigated the blood pressure‐lowering effects of antihypertensive drugs on the incidence of dementia. Although prospective cohort studies have shown that use of antihypertensive drugs was associated with a reduced rate of cognitive impairment and dementia, these studies were not placebo controlled. Four randomized, placebo‐controlled studies—the Systolic Hypertension in Europe (Syst‐Eur) study, Study on Cognition and Prognosis in the Elderly (SCOPE), Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP), and Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS)—investigated the effects of antihypertensive agents on the incidence of dementia. The Syst‐Eur study found that active treatment with nitrendipine, enalapril, and/or hydrochlorothiazide reduced the rate of dementia by 50% compared with placebo (p=0.05). The PROGRESS study showed that active treatment with perindopril and indapamide was associated with reduced cognitive decline compared with placebo (risk ratio 19%, p=0.01). In contrast, the SCOPE study (candesartan or hydrochlorothiazide vs placebo) and the SHEP trial (chlorthalidone, atenolol, or reserpine vs placebo) found no significant difference between the active treatment and placebo groups on the incidence of dementia. Some researchers have suggested that certain antihypertensive drug classes, such as angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, diuretics, and calcium channel blockers, may offer benefit in reducing dementia risk in addition to their blood pressure‐lowering effect. Further prospective randomized studies comparing different antihypertensive classes are needed to provide more evidence regarding the effects of antihypertensive drugs on dementia risk and to determine whether certain antihypertensive classes provide greater benefits than others.
ΔFosB Mediates Epigenetic Desensitization of the c-fos Gene After Chronic Amphetamine Exposure

The molecular mechanisms underlying the transition from recreational drug use to chronic addiction remain poorly understood. One molecule implicated in this process is ΔFosB, a transcription factor that accumulates in striatum after repeated drug exposure and mediates sensitized behavioral responses to psychostimulants and other drugs of abuse. The downstream transcriptional mechanisms by which ΔFosB regulates drug-induced behaviors are incompletely understood. We reported previously the chromatin remodeling mechanisms by which ΔFosB activates the expression of certain genes; however, the mechanisms underlying ΔFosB-mediated gene repression remain unknown. Here, we identify c-fos, an immediate early gene rapidly induced in striatum after acute psychostimulant exposure, as a novel downstream target that is repressed chronically by ΔFosB. We show that accumulation of ΔFosB in striatum after chronic amphetamine treatment desensitizes c-fos mRNA induction to a subsequent drug dose. ΔFosB desensitizes c-fos expression by recruiting histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) to the c-fos gene promoter, which, in turn, deacetylates surrounding histones and attenuates gene activity. Accordingly, local knock-out of HDAC1 in striatum abolishes amphetamine-induced desensitization of the c-fos gene. In concert, chronic amphetamine increases histone H3 methylation on the c-fos promoter, a chromatin modification also known to repress gene activity, as well as expression levels of the H3 histone methyltransferase, KMT1A (lysine methyltransferase 1A, formerly SUV39H1). This study reveals a novel epigenetic pathway through which ΔFosB mediates distinct transcriptional programs that may ultimately alter behavioral plasticity to chronic amphetamine exposure.
Cross-species analysis of Fc engineered anti-Lewis-Y human IgG1 variants in human neonatal receptor transgenic mice reveal importance of S254 and Y436 in binding human neonatal Fc receptor

ABSTRACT IgG has a long half-life through engagement of its Fc region with the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). The FcRn binding site on IgG1 has been shown to contain I253 and H310 in the CH2 domain and H435 in the CH3 domain. Altering the half-life of IgG has been pursued with the aim to prolong or reduce the half-life of therapeutic IgGs. More recent studies have shown that IgGs bind differently to mouse and human FcRn. In this study we characterize a set of hu3S193 IgG1 variants with mutations in the FcRn binding site. A double mutation in the binding site is necessary to abrogate binding to murine FcRn, whereas a single mutation in the FcRn binding site is sufficient to no longer detect binding to human FcRn and create hu3S193 IgG1 variants with a half-life similar to previously studied hu3S193 F(ab')2 (t1/2β, I253A, 12.23 h; H310A, 12.94; H435A, 12.57; F(ab')2, 12.6 h). Alanine substitutions in S254 in the CH2 domain and Y436 in the CH3 domain showed reduced binding in vitro to human FcRn and reduced elimination half-lives in huFcRn transgenic mice (t1/2β, S254A, 37.43 h; Y436A, 39.53 h; wild-type, 83.15 h). These variants had minimal effect on half-life in BALB/c nu/nu mice (t1/2β, S254A, 119.9 h; Y436A, 162.1 h; wild-type, 163.1 h). These results provide insight into the interaction of human Fc by human FcRn, and are important for antibody-based therapeutics with optimal pharmacokinetics for payload strategies used in the clinic.
Radiogenomic classification of the 1p/19q status in presumed low-grade gliomas

1p/19q co-deletion is an important prognostic factor in low grade gliomas. However, determination of the 1p/19q status currently requires a biopsy. To overcome this, we investigate a radiogenomic classification using support vector machines to non-invasively predict the 1p/19q status from multimodal MRI data. Different approaches of predicting this status were compared: a direct approach which predicts the 1p/19q co-deletion status and an indirect approach which predicts the mutation status of 1p and 19q individually and combines these predictions to predict the 1p/19q co-deletion status. Using the indirect approach based on both the T1-weighted and T2-weighted images delivered the best result and resulted in a 95% confidence interval for the sensitivity and specificity of [0.44; 0.89] and [0.70; 1.00] respectively.
Telephone administration of the SF‐36 health survey: validation studies and population norms for adults in Queensland

Abstract: The Rand Corporation medical outcomes short‐form 36 health survey (SF‐36) is a multidimensional measure of self‐perceived general health status, which has been validated in adult populations in the United States and Great Britain, and, more recently, in an Australian population. The SF‐36 is increasingly being used in health outcomes research internationally, mainly as a self‐administered tool, and clearly has potential for use in Australia. This study aimed to assess the acceptability, reliability and validity of telephone administration of the instrument in the Queensland adult population, and to provide reliable population norms. We report the results of a telephone survey in which we interviewed 12 793 adults. It was the first large‐scale, statewide application of the SF‐36 in Australia. A response rate of 82 per cent was achieved, and the SF‐36 satisfied psychometric criteria for reliability and construct validity. Population norms broken down by age and sex are provided. They will be important for the interpretation of future studies using the SF‐36 in particular population or patient groups.
Object Recognition using Simultaneous Pattern-Matching in Virtual Environment

This paper proposes a method of object recognition using simultaneous pattern-matching, in which the system generates an object image from a 3D model simultaneously in the recognition phase and discards it without storage. Consequently, this paper illustrates that actual object recognition can be performed within a reasonable computation time, with no need for a database of images, such as those used in conjunction with the former methods
The Boston Keratoprosthesis Type I in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid

Purpose: To evaluate the use of the Boston keratoprosthesis type I implantation in patients with mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP). Methods: Retrospective review of 8 eyes of 8 patients with severe ocular surface disease and corneal blindness as a result of MMP who underwent Boston keratoprosthesis type I implantation at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2009. The main outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity, keratoprosthesis retention, and postoperative complications. Results: The mean age of patients was 71.3 years (range, 55–94 years), and the mean duration of their disease preoperatively was 6.1 years (range, 1.7–11.4 years). Visual acuity after the surgery improved to 20/200 or better in 6 eyes (75%) and to 20/40 or better in 3 eyes (37.5%). Only 1 of 6 eyes (16.7%) was able to maintain visual acuity of 20/200 or better over a mean follow-up period of 3.2 years. Five of the 8 Boston keratoprosthesis type I devices (62.5%) extruded or had to be replaced during a mean follow-up time of 1.7 ± 1.7 years. Loss of vision to worse than 20/200 during the follow-up period occurred because of keratoprosthesis type I extrusion, end-stage glaucoma, and retinal or choroidal detachment. Conclusions: The clinical outcomes of Boston keratoprosthesis type I implantation in MMP are guarded and, as judged from the literature, less favorable than those with the Boston keratoprosthesis type II for the same disease.
Smoking and the risk of dry eye: a Meta-analysis.

AIM To collect the evidence to estimate the correlation between smoking and the incidence of dry eye. METHODS The PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, last issue), CBM (Chinese BioMedical Literature Database), and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure/Chinese Academic Journals full-text Database) were searched for eligible studies published from January 1964 to December 2015 to investigate the association of smoking with the risk of dry eye. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were summarized and calculated. The extracted studies were pooled by the fixed-effects model or a random-effects model. RESULTS Two cohort studies and eight cross-sectional surveys were included in our Meta-analysis. There was no statistically significant relationship between current (OR=1.32; 95% CI: 0.99-1.76; P=0.055) or ever smoking (OR=1.12; 95% CI: 0.98-1.28; P=0.107) and the risk of dry eye among the studies, even when age and gender were adjusted (OR=1.16; 95% CI: 0.83-1.64; P=0.383). In the sensitivity analysis in which only general population were included, the association was significant between smoking and dry eye (OR=1.50; 95% CI: 1.08-2.09; P=0.016). CONCLUSION This Meta-analysis suggests that smoking may associate with the risk of dry eye in general population.
Structures of p53 Cancer Mutants and Mechanism of Rescue by Second-site Suppressor Mutations*

We have solved the crystal structures of three oncogenic mutants of the core domain of the human tumor suppressor p53. The mutations were introduced into a stabilized variant. The cancer hot spot mutation R273H simply removes an arginine involved in DNA binding without causing structural distortions in neighboring residues. In contrast, the “structural” oncogenic mutations H168R and R249S induce substantial structural perturbation around the mutation site in the L2 and L3 loops, respectively. H168R is a specific intragenic suppressor mutation for R249S. When both cancer mutations are combined in the same molecule, Arg168 mimics the role of Arg249 in wild type, and the wild type conformation is largely restored in both loops. Our structural and biophysical data provide compelling evidence for the mechanism of rescue of mutant p53 by intragenic suppressor mutations and reveal features by which proteins can adapt to deleterious mutations.
Surface wave tomography for azimuthal anisotropy in a strongly reduced parameter space

SUMMARY Large scale seismic anisotropy in the Earth's mantle is likely dynamically supported by the mantle's deformation; therefore, tomographic imaging of 3-D anisotropic mantle seismic velocity structure is an important tool to understand the dynamics of the mantle. While many previous studies have focused on special cases of symmetry of the elastic properties, it would be desirable for evaluation of dynamic models to allow more general axis orientation. In this study, we derive 3-D finite-frequency surface wave sensitivity kernels based on the Born approximation using a general expression for a hexagonal medium with an arbitrarily oriented symmetry axis. This results in kernels for two isotropic elastic coefficients, three coefficients that define the strength of anisotropy, and two angles that define the symmetry axis. The particular parametrization is chosen to allow for a physically meaningful method for reducing the number of parameters considered in an inversion, while allowing for straightforward integration with existing approaches for modelling body wave splitting intensity measurements. Example kernels calculated with this method reveal physical interpretations of how surface waveforms are affected by 3-D velocity perturbations, while also demonstrating the non-linearity of the problem as a function of symmetry axis orientation. The expressions are numerically validated using the spectral element method. While challenges remain in determining the best inversion scheme to appropriately handle the non-linearity, the approach derived here has great promise in allowing large scale models with resolution of both the strength and orientation of anisotropy.
Reverse Logistics Optimization Based on GI/G/m

Over the past few years, public awareness of environmental aspects has dramatically increased. Since the disposition of end-of-life products has caused tremendous attention, Reverse logistics system planning shall become vital as the take-back rate increases and the service area expands in the future. This study combines GI/G/m queuing model and adaptive genetic algorithm to optimize the capacity of the recovery facilities, the infrastructure design and the reverse network flow. The proposed model attempts to minimize the total cost, which consists of collection cost, transportation cost, fixed cost for facilities, variable cost, disposal cost, as well as the sale revenue of reclaimed materials and revenue of selling two-hands products.