Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oxygen minimum zone in the North Atlantic south and east of the Cape Verde Islands

The open-ocean oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) south and east of the Cape Verde Islands is studied from CTD hydrography, ADCP velocities, Argo float trajectories, and historical data, with a focus on the zonal supply and drainage paths. The strongest oxygen minimum is located north of the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) at about 400 to 500-m depth just above the boundary between Central Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). It is shown that the NECC, the North Equatorial Undercurrent at 4 to 6°N, and a northern branch of the NECC at 8 to 10°N are the sources for oxygen-rich water supplied to the OMZ in summer and fall. A weak eastward NECC at 200-m depth also exists in winter and spring as derived from Argo floats drifting at shallow levels. Historical oxygen data from 200-m depth confirm this seasonality showing high (low) oxygen content in summer and fall (spring) within the supply paths. Compared to the strong oxygen supply at 150 to 300-m depth, the ventilation of the OMZ at 300 to 600-m depth is weaker. Westward drainage of oxygen-poor water takes place north of the Guinea Dome, i.e., north of 10°N, most pronounced at 400 to 600-m depth. In July 2006 the total eastward transport of both NECC bands above σ θ = 27.1 kg m−3 at 23°W was about 13 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1). About half of this water volume circulates within the Guinea Dome or recirculates westward north of the Guinea Dome.
A cephalometric study of the skeletal and dento-alveolar effects of the modified Louisiana State University activator in Class II malocclusion

Objectives To analyse the skeletal and dento-alveolar effects of the modified Louisiana State University activator (MLSUA) in Class II treatment. Materials and methods A test group of 46 participants (25 females, 21 males) with Class II malocclusion treated with MLSUA followed by fixed appliances was compared with a matched Class II control group. Lateral cephalograms were taken at T1 (initial records), T2 (completion of MLSUA treatment), and T3 (before deband). The participants were also divided into two groups: pre-pubertal and pubertal according to skeletal maturity and three groups of different vertical facial patterns at the start of the treatment: brachyfacial, mesofacial, and dolichofacial. Statistical comparisons were performed with t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results Statistically significant supplementary mandibular growth (Co-Gn) in the test group (2.6 mm) was associated with improvement of overjet (OJ), overbite (OB), and molar relationship. Short-term mandibular growth was greater in pubertal than pre-pubertal groups (2.4 mm, P < 0.05). Mandibular incisors retroclined by 2.1 degrees after MLSUA treatment. The brachyfacial group showed greater reduction in the ANB angle and forward movement of pogonion. Mandibular, palatal, and occlusal plane angles showed insignificant change regardless of the facial type. Conclusions MLSUA treatment corrected the Class II malocclusion by accelerating mandibular growth in the short-term with minimal dento-alveolar compensation, and the correction was maintained before deband. The treatment may be more effective if started at puberty. The mandibular, palatal, and occlusal planes remained stable throughout the treatment. Brachyfacial patients showed more favourable horizontal growth.
Vitrification of fly ash from thermal power stations

Samples of fly ash from Spanish thermal power plants were vitrified after mixing with other inorganic wastes such as dolomite slag and glass cullet. The relative viscosity and crystallisation behaviour of the glasses obtained were investigated by hot stage microscopy (HSM) and differential thermal analysis, from which reheating schedules were chosen for recrystallisation. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) showed that diopside (augite) and/or wollastonite could be crystallised from these glasses, giving rise to dendritic and/or acicular microstructures which were observed and analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX). It was shown that the glass ceramics so obtained had improved mechanical properties compared with the untreated glasses, with Vickers microhardness (H v )=5-6.9 GPa, elasticity modulus (E)=59-101 GPa and toughness (K IC )=1.7-1.8 MPa.m 1/2 maximum ranges from glass ceramics products showing better properties.
An ensemble machine learning based approach for constructing probabilistic PV generation forecasting

Photovoltaic (PV) generation forecasting plays an important role in accommodating more distributed PV sites into power systems. However, due to the stochastic nature of PV generation, conventional point forecast methods can hardly quantify the uncertainties of PV generation. Being capable of quantifying uncertainties, probabilistic forecasting tools, like prediction intervals (PIs), are receiving increasing attention. This paper proposes a new framework to construct PIs and make point forecasts. In the proposed framework, an efficient and robust algorithm is employed to perform quantile regression. Based on the quantile regression results, PIs for multiple confidence levels are constructed utilizing different quantiles. Simulation results on a PV generation system reveal that the proposed framework is more reliable and accurate, compared with state-of-the-art methods, as measured by multiple performance indices.
Quantifying information leaks using reliability analysis

We report on our work-in-progress into the use of reliability analysis to quantify information leaks. In recent work we have proposed a software reliability analysis technique that uses symbolic execution and model counting to quantify the probability of reaching designated program states, e.g. assert violations, under uncertainty conditions in the environment. The technique has many applications beyond reliability analysis, ranging from program understanding and debugging to analysis of cyber-physical systems. In this paper we report on a novel application of the technique, namely Quantitative Information Flow analysis (QIF). The goal of QIF is to measure information leakage of a program by using information-theoretic metrics such as Shannon entropy or Renyi entropy. We exploit the model counting engine of the reliability analyzer over symbolic program paths, to compute an upper bound of the maximum leakage over all possible distributions of the confidential data. We have implemented our approach into a prototype tool, called QILURA, and explore its effectiveness on a number of case studies.
Gαi3 nuclear translocation causes irradiation resistance in human glioma cells

We have previously shown that Gαi3 is elevated in human glioma, mediating Akt activation and cancer cell proliferation. Here, we imply that Gαi3 could also be important for irradiation resistance. In A172 human glioma cells, Gαi3 knockdown (by targeted shRNAs) or dominant-negative mutation significantly potentiated irradiation-induced cell apoptosis. Reversely, forced over-expression of wild-type or constitutively-active Gαi3 inhibited irradiation-induced A172 cell apoptosis. Irradiation in A172 cells induced Gαi3 translocation to cell nuclei and association with local protein DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) catalytic subunit. This association was important for DNA damage repair. Gαi3 knockdown, depletion (using Gαi3 knockout MEFs) or dominant-negative mutation potentiated irradiation-induced DNA damages. On the other hand, expression of the constitutively-active Gαi3 in A172 cells inhibited DNA damage by irradiation. Together, these results indicate a novel function of Gαi3 in irradiation-resistance in human glioma cells.
Metallographic investigations of ADI materials

The microstructure of austempered ductile iron (ADI) was investigated using conventional light microscopy as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The microstructural variations arising from variations of composition and austempering processing parameters are discussed. Specimens with a microstructure consisting of carbide-free bainitic ferrite and retained austenite show promising mechanical properties.
Designing Robot Receptionist for Overcoming Poor Infrastructure, Low Literacy and Low Rate of Female Interaction

Developing countries in South Asia face unique economical and societal challenges such as poor infrastructure, low literacy and gender specific social norms. A particular concern is low participation of females in mixed gender activities. Any technological tool developed to improve accessibility of the population to the government and financial infrastructure needs to tackle these issues. In order to investigate design principles concerning these challenges, we are developing a culturally aware robot receptionist called ROSS (Robot Oriented Support Staff). The paper reports three studies on ROSS. We report our initial design effort, user interactions, strategies to engage low-literate users and female users, implementation decisions to deal with lack of services like internet connectivity, duration of interactions, rate of understanding, and rate of task completion. Findings from user experience survey indicate that culturally aware design can increase acceptability and interaction time. In the end we discuss possible future design changes in ROSS.
Acute in vitro and in vivo toxicity of a commercial grade boron nitride nanotube mixture

Abstract Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are an emerging engineered nanomaterial attracting significant attention due to superior electrical, chemical and thermal properties. Currently, the toxicity profile of this material is largely unknown. Commercial grade BNNTs are composed of a mixture (BNNT-M) of ∼50–60% BNNTs, and ∼40–50% impurities of boron and hexagonal boron nitride. We performed acute in vitro and in vivo studies with commercial grade BNNT-M, dispersed by sonication in vehicle, in comparison to the extensively studied multiwalled carbon nanotube-7 (MWCNT-7). THP-1 wild-type and NLRP3-deficient human monocytic cells were exposed to 0–100 µg/ml and C57BL/6 J male mice were treated with 40 µg of BNNT-M for in vitro and in vivo studies, respectively. In vitro, BNNT-M induced a dose-dependent increase in cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. This was confirmed in vivo following acute exposure increase in bronchoalveolar lavage levels of lactate dehydrogenase, pulmonary polymorphonuclear cell influx, loss in mitochondrial membrane potential and augmented levels of 4-hydroxynonenal. Uptake of this material caused lysosomal destabilization, pyroptosis and inflammasome activation, corroborated by an increase in cathepsin B, caspase 1, increased protein levels of IL-1β and IL-18 both in vitro and in vivo. Attenuation of these effects in NLRP3-deficient THP-1 cells confirmed NLRP3-dependent inflammasome activation by BNNT-M. BNNT-M induced a similar profile of inflammatory pulmonary protein production when compared to MWCNT-7. Functionally, pretreatment with BNNT-M caused suppression in bacterial uptake by THP-1 cells, an effect that was mirrored in challenged alveolar macrophages collected from exposed mice and attenuated with NLRP3 deficiency. Analysis of cytokines secreted by LPS-challenged alveolar macrophages collected after in vivo exposure to dispersions of BNNT-M showed a differential macrophage response. The observed results demonstrated acute inflammation and toxicity in vitro and in vivo following exposure to sonicated BNNT-M was in part due to NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Novel SLC37A4 Mutations in Korean Patients With Glycogen Storage Disease Ib

Background Molecular techniques are fundamental for establishing an accurate diagnosis and therapeutic approach of glycogen storage diseases (GSDs). We aimed to evaluate SLC37A4 mutation spectrum in Korean GSD Ib patients. Methods Nine Korean patients from eight unrelated families with GSD Ib were included. SLC37A4 mutations were detected in all patients with direct sequencing using a PCR method and/or whole-exome sequencing. A comprehensive review of previously reported SLC37A4 mutations was also conducted. Results Nine different pathogenic SLC37A4 mutations were identified in the nine patients with GSD Ib. Among them, four novel mutations were identified: c.148G>A (pGly50Arg), c.320G>A (p.Trp107*), c.412T>C (p.Trp138Arg), and c.818G>A (p.Gly273Asp). The most common mutation type was missense mutations (66.7%, 6/9), followed by nonsense mutations (22.2%, 2/9) and small deletion mutations (11.1%, 1/9). The most common mutation identified in the Korean population was c.443C>T (p.Ala148Val), which comprised 39.9% (7/18) of all tested alleles. This mutation has not been reported in GSD Ib patients in other ethnic populations. Conclusions This study expands knowledge of the SLC37A4 mutation spectrum in Korean patients with GSD Ib.
Potassium‐ and capsaicin‐induced release of agmatine from spinal nerve terminals

Agmatine (decarboxylated arginine) was originally identified in the CNS as an imidazoline receptor ligand. Further studies demonstrated that agmatine antagonizes NMDA receptors and inhibits nitric oxide synthase. Intrathecally administered agmatine inhibits opioid tolerance and hyperalgesia evoked by inflammation, nerve injury, and intrathecally administered NMDA. These actions suggest an anti‐glutamatergic role for agmatine in the spinal cord. We have previously reported that radiolabeled agmatine is transported into spinal synaptosomes in an energy‐ and temperature‐dependent manner. In the present study, we demonstrate that agmatine is releasable from purified spinal nerve terminals upon depolarization. When exposed to either elevated potassium or capsaicin, tritiated agmatine (but not its precursor l‐arginine or its metabolite putrescine) is released in a calcium‐dependent manner. Control experiments confirmed that the observed release was specific to depolarization and not due to permeabilization of or degradation of synaptosomes. That capsaicin‐evoked stimulation results in agmatine release implicates the participation of primary afferent nerve terminals. Radiolabeled agmatine also accumulates in purified spinal synaptosomal vesicles in a temperature‐dependent manner, suggesting that the source of releasable agmatine may be vesicular in origin. These results support the proposal that agmatine may serve as a spinal neuromodulator involved in pain processing.
Cognitive Complaints in Memory Clinic Patients and in Depressive Patients: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Cognitive complaints are discussed as early signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, they are also very common in cognitively normal older adults and in patients with depression. Qualitative, interview-based approaches might be useful to identify those features of cognitive complaints specific for the experiences of cognitive decline in preclinical or prodromal AD versus those complaints typically reported by depressed patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A semi-structured interview was administered to 21 cognitively normal older adults (HC), 18 nondemented memory clinic patients (MC), and 11 patients with a major depression (MD), all above 55 years. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied to the interview transcripts to develop emerging complaint themes in each group. To identify thematic correspondence and possibly novel, hitherto unappreciated themes, the extracted complaint categories were compared with the neurocognitive domains in the DSM-5 and the content of the Everyday Cognition questionnaire (E-Cog). RESULTS IPA yielded 18 cognitive complaint categories in MC, 10 in depressive patients, and 10 categories in the HC group. Several themes were common across groups, but some were group-specific, for example, spatial disorientation was only reported in MC patients. Some of these MC-specific themes were neither represented by DSM-5 domains nor by the E-Cog. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS We report a comprehensive qualitative description of cognitive complaints in old age which could help to develop questionnaires or structured interviews to better assess AD-related subjective cognitive decline. This may help to increase specificity in selecting high-risk subjects in research settings and improve clinical judgment of diverse cognitive complaints types mentioned by their patients.
Vanillic acid attenuates obesity via activation of the AMPK pathway and thermogenic factors in vivo and in vitro

Energy expenditure is a target gaining recent interest for obesity treatment. The antiobesity effect of vanillic acid (VA), a well‐known flavoring agent, was investigated in vivo and in vitro. High‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced obese mice and genetically obese db/dbmice showed significantly decreased body weights after VA administration. Two major adipogenic markers, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer‐ binding protein α(C/EBPα), were reduced while the key factor of energy metabolism, AMPKα, was increased in the white adipose tissue and liver tissue of VA‐treated mice. Furthermore, VA inhibited lipid accumulation and reduced hepatotoxic/inflammatory markers in liver tissues of mice and HepG2 hepatocytes. VA treatment also decreased differentiation of 3T3‐L1 adipocytes by regulating adipogenic factors including PPARγand C/EBPα. AMPKαsmall interfering RNA was used to examine whether AMPK was associated with the actions of VA. In AMPKα‐nulled 3T3‐ L1 cells, the inhibitory action of VA on PPARγand C/EBPα was attenuated. Furthermore, in brown adipose tissues of mice and primary cultured brown adipocytes, VA increased mitochondria‐ and thermogenesis‐related factors such as uncoupling protein 1 and PPARγ‐coactivator 1‐α. Taken together, our results suggest that VA has potential as an AMPKα‐ and thermogenesis‐activating antiobesity agent. —Jung,Y. ,Park,J.,Kim,H. ‐L. ,Sim, J.‐E. ,Y oun,D. ‐H. ,Kang, J., Lim, S. , Jeong, M. ‐Y. , Yang, W. M. , Lee, S. ‐G. , Ahn, K. S. , Um, J.‐Y. Vanillic acid attenuates obesity via activation of the AMPK pathway and thermogenic factors in vivo and in vitro. FASEB J. 32,1388‐1402 (2018). www.fasebj. org
Context-based interpolation of coarse deep learning prediction maps for the segmentation of fine structures in immunofluorescence images

The automatic analysis of digital pathology images is becoming of increasing interest for the development of novel therapeutic drugs and of the associated companion diagnostic tests in oncology. A precise quantification of the tumor microenvironment and therefore an accurate segmentation of the tumor extent are critical in this context. In this paper, we present a new approach based on visual context random forest to generate precise segmentation maps from deep learning coarse segmentation maps. Applied to the detection of cytokeratin positive (CK) epithelium regions in immunofluorescence (IF) images, we show that this method enables an accurate and fast detection of detailled structures in terms of qualitative and quantitative evaluation against three baseline approaches. For the method to be resilient to the high variability of staining intensity, a novel normalization algorithm for IF images is moreover introduced.
Laboratory x-ray microscopy using a reflection target system and geometric magnification

This paper describes a laboratory X-ray microscopy setup, based on geometric magnification. The setup uses a sharp metal tip as a reflection target and a highly focused electron beam of a scanning electron microscope. Here we will describe the structuring process for these metal targets. To demonstrate the capabilities of our system, we show radiographs of test structures corresponding to resolutions below 100nm. There are abilities for 3D imaging in later updates of the system. Further we discuss the first imaging examples for high- and low-absorbing samples.
VDR and CYP24A1 Expression Analysis in Iranian Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Objective Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common disease of the central nervous system. This disease may be initiated by either vitamin deficiency or triggered by abnormality in CYP24A1 and vitamin D receptor. Materials and Methods In this case-control study, the expression of genes encoding vitamin D receptor (VDR) and CYP24A1 in relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients was compared with normal individuals in the Iranian population. RNA from whole blood of 50 RR-MS patients (HLA-DRB1*15-negative and responders to interferon-beta with a normal vitamin D level) and 50 normal controls was extracted. The levels of CYP24A1 and VDR expression were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results The RR-MS group had a significantly more than 2 times higher expression level of VDR than the normal group (P=0.04). On the other hand, there was a 0.89 times decrease in the expression level of CYP24A1 in RR-MS patients which was not statistically significant. There was no linear correlation between the risk of expanded disability status scale of Kurtzke (EDSS) and the expression level of either CYP24A1 or VDR. In addition, the expression level of CYP24A1 or VDR was not correlated with the duration of the disease. Conclusion Up-regulation of VDR is likely to happen in RR-MS patients in the Iranian population. We did not observe a gene expression-phenotype correlation for CYP24A1 which may be due to limited statistical power as a result of the small sample size. Although the individuals taking part in this study had normal levels of vitamin D, the increase in VDR expression levels may perhaps be a response to a defect in vitamin D processing. Another possibility is that despite an increase in VDR expression level, factors such as micro-RNAs may result in their deactivation while an increase in VDR expression level can be seen as a compensatory response. Of course, further studies are required to identify the mechanism of action of vitamin D by analyzing genes involved in its signaling pathway, particularly VDR and CYP24A1.
Individual versus superensemble forecasts of seasonal influenza outbreaks in the United States

Recent research has produced a number of methods for forecasting seasonal influenza outbreaks. However, differences among the predicted outcomes of competing forecast methods can limit their use in decision-making. Here, we present a method for reconciling these differences using Bayesian model averaging. We generated retrospective forecasts of peak timing, peak incidence, and total incidence for seasonal influenza outbreaks in 48 states and 95 cities using 21 distinct forecast methods, and combined these individual forecasts to create weighted-average superensemble forecasts. We compared the relative performance of these individual and superensemble forecast methods by geographic location, timing of forecast, and influenza season. We find that, overall, the superensemble forecasts are more accurate than any individual forecast method and less prone to producing a poor forecast. Furthermore, we find that these advantages increase when the superensemble weights are stratified according to the characteristics of the forecast or geographic location. These findings indicate that different competing influenza prediction systems can be combined into a single more accurate forecast product for operational delivery in real time.
An introduction of the biomimetic hand testbed: Skeletal structure and actuation

This paper presents a design of an anthropomorphic biomimetic hand testbed, wich focuses on the design of the fingers and its bio-inspired flexor-extensor like control. The kinematic description, the detailed explanation and presentation of the 3D CAD design are included. The description of the applied 3D touch and magnetic sensors are also detailed in the article. Functional simulation results and also the first experiments of the hardware prototype gave promising results and show that the approach can be an effective solution for the need of a hand testbed.