Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selenium bioaccumulation and speciation in Chironomus dilutus exposed to water‐borne selenate, selenite, or seleno‐DL‐methionine

The objective of the present study was to describe the uptake and elimination kinetics of selenium (Se) administered in the forms of selenate, selenite, and selenomethionine (seleno‐DL‐methionine) in different life stages of the midge Chironomus dilutus, and to determine the relationship between Se bioavailability and Se speciation using X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Midge larvae exposed to 4.3 µg/L as dissolved selenate for 10 d of had negligible accumulation of Se (indistinguishable from control organisms). However, larvae rapidly accumulated Se over 10 d of exposure to 3.8 and 1.8 µg/L selenite and seleno‐DL‐methionine (Se‐met), respectively. Most Se accumulated by larvae exposed to selenite or Se‐met was retained after 10 d of elimination in clean water. When additional midge larvae were exposed to Se until emergence, Se accumulated during the larval stage was largely retained in the adults. Although a strong correlation was found between the adult whole‐body Se concentration and the Se concentration in the exuvia after emergence, only a minor loss of Se occurred in the shed exuvia compared with larvae and adult whole‐body concentrations. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy analysis showed that organic selenides and diselenides, modeled as Se‐met and selenocystine, respectively, were the dominant forms of Se in both the larval and adult insect stages. The proportion and concentration of organic selenides (selenomethionine) increased in larvae and adults exposed to Se‐met and selenite compared with larvae exposed to selenate, whereas the concentration of diselenides (selenocystine) remained relatively constant for all treatments. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011;30:2292–2299. © 2011 SETAC
Use of an implantable pleural catheter for trapped lung syndrome in patients with malignant pleural effusion.

STUDY OBJECTIVES We describe a series of patients with symptomatic, refractory malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and underlying trapped lung syndrome who underwent placement of a small-bore, flexible indwelling pleural catheter for home drainage of recurrent MPE. DESIGN The medical records of 11 consecutive patients who underwent pleural catheter placement for MPE with trapped lung syndrome were reviewed retrospectively. SETTING Patients were evaluated and followed up in the Pulmonary Outpatient Practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. PATIENTS Nine men and two women with underlying malignancies including lung cancer, lymphoma, and mesothelioma underwent pleural catheter placement. INTERVENTIONS Thirteen pleural catheters were placed in 11 patients, all under local anesthesia. Patients received detailed instructions for drainage and catheter care. They were reevaluated weekly for the first 2 weeks, and then as clinically indicated. Patients typically performed pleural drainage at home up to 1,000 mL two or three times weekly. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS All patients reported symptomatic benefit, defined as improved dyspnea and exercise tolerance, except for one patient. In 10 patients, the pleural catheters remained in place until death, for 15 to 234 days. The mean length of placement was 115 days. One patient required revision after catheter occlusion. Other complications included catheter infection, localized skin breakdown, and possible cellulitis. CONCLUSION We have described a series of patients with MPE and trapped lung syndrome for whom placement of a permanent pleural catheter provided a convenient, effective alternative to the procedures currently in use. Our patients reported good symptomatic relief following catheter placement with few major complications.
Hetero-oligomeric Complex between the G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 and the Plasma Membrane Ca2+-ATPase 4b*

Background: GPER/GPR30's actions are unclear. Results: GPER/GPR30 and PMCA4b constitutively interact via PDZ-binding motifs. This inhibits PMCA but enhances GPER/GPR30 activity. GPER/GPR30 activation further suppresses PMCA activity via tyrosine phosphorylation. Conclusion: GPER/GPR30 and PMCA4b form a physical and functional complex. Significance: GPER/GPR30-PMCA4b interactions mediate cross-talk between GPER/GPR30 and Ca2+ signaling. The new G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER/GPR30) plays important roles in many organ systems. The plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) is essential for removal of cytoplasmic Ca2+ and for shaping the time courses of Ca2+-dependent activities. Here, we show that PMCA and GPER/GPR30 physically interact and functionally influence each other. In primary endothelial cells, GPER/GPR30 agonist G-1 decreases PMCA-mediated Ca2+ extrusion by promoting PMCA tyrosine phosphorylation. GPER/GPR30 overexpression decreases PMCA activity, and G-1 further potentiates this effect. GPER/GPR30 knockdown increases PMCA activity, whereas PMCA knockdown substantially reduces GPER/GPR30-mediated phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK1/2). GPER/GPR30 co-immunoprecipitates with PMCA with or without treatment with 17β-estradiol, thapsigargin, or G-1. Heterologously expressed GPER/GPR30 in HEK 293 cells co-localizes with PMCA4b, the main endothelial PMCA isoform. Endothelial cells robustly express the PDZ post-synaptic density protein (PSD)-95, whose knockdown reduces the association between GPER/GPR30 and PMCA. Additionally, the association between PMCA4b and GPER/GPR30 is substantially reduced by truncation of either or both of their C-terminal PDZ-binding motifs. Functionally, inhibition of PMCA activity is significantly reduced by truncation of GPER/GPR30's C-terminal PDZ-binding motif. These data strongly indicate that GPER/GPR30 and PMCA4b form a hetero-oligomeric complex in part via the anchoring action of PSD-95, in which they constitutively affect each other's function. Activation of GPER/GPR30 further inhibits PMCA activity through tyrosine phosphorylation of the pump. These interactions represent cross-talk between Ca2+ signaling and GPER/GPR30-mediated activities.
The Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles in Patients with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease of Different Severities in Shanghai, China, 2010

Background and purpose Systemic upregulation of inflammatory cytokines is characteristic of critical severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with pulmonary edema. Thus, immunomodulatory medicines such as steroids, including methylprednisolone, have been proposed to treat patients with severe HFMD in China, because it is postulated that inflammatory cytokines play a role in the development of severe complications. This study is to further investigate the inflammatory response in the relatively mild HFMD patients, and whether steroid treatment has a beneficial effect on the suppression of inflammation in HFMD patients. Method We measured the levels of 50 kinds of chemokines, cytokines, growth factors and soluble receptors in serum samples from control patients without HFMD and the HFMD patients with or without prior treatment of intravenous methylprednisolone. Results Our present study found that even relatively mild HFMD patients without central nervous system (CNS) complications had elevated serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, IL-12p40, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which suggested systemic inflammation. In contrast, these patients also have decreased levels of other serum biomarkers, including IL-1Ra, IL-8, IL-16, soluble ICAM-1, CXCL-1, and CCL27. The dysregulation of cytokine and chemokine expression may be involved in CNS complications and unbalanced circulating leukocytes in HFMD patients. Surprisingly, patients treated with methylprednisolone had no difference in the expression levels of HFMD-associated biomarkers instead had slightly increased levels of IL-17A, which was not associated with the occurrence of HFMD. Conclusion Whether steroid treatment has any beneficial effect on the prognosis of HFMD patients requires to be further investigated.
Live Soundscape Composition Based on Synthetic Emotions

We conceived Ada: Intelligent Space exhibit as an artificial organism, integrating a large number of sensory modalities, and let it interact with visitors using a multitude of effector systems. Ada used a language of sound and light to communicate its moods, emotions, and behaviors. Here we describe the mechanisms behind Ada's sound communication, its real-time performance, and its interpretation by human subjects.
The Duodenal Microbiota Composition of Adult Celiac Disease Patients Is Associated with the Clinical Manifestation of the Disease

Background:Celiac disease is classically manifested in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract but extraintestinal symptoms, such as dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), are also common. Besides several well-known shared genetic risk factors and an environmental trigger, gliadin, factors determining the clinical outcome of the disease are not known. In this study, the role of duodenal microbiota in the celiac disease outcome was studied by analyzing mucosa-associated microbiota in celiac disease patients with a variety of intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms. Methods:Microbiota in duodenal biopsy samples obtained from 33 patients with celiac disease with GI, DH, anemia, or mixed symptoms, as well as screen-detected asymptomatic celiac disease and 18 control subjects were analyzed using PCR denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and a subset of samples additionally by the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Results:The composition and diversity of mucosal microbiota was associated with the manifestation of celiac disease when analyzed using PCR denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. The patients with celiac disease with GI symptoms or anemia had lower microbial diversity than those with DH. Moreover, the patients with GI symptoms had different intestinal microbiota composition and structure, dominated by Proteobacteria, in comparison to those with DH or control subjects (patients with dyspepsia). The relatively similar intestinal microbiota composition in the control subjects and those with DH was characterized by the high abundance of Firmicutes. Conclusions:The two common outcomes of celiac disease, classical GI and extraintestinal manifestations, had marked differences on the diversity and composition of intestinal microbiota. This association suggested that intestinal microbiota may have a role in the manifestation of the disease.
Research on free-form surface stereo matching method based on improved Census transform

The feature points obtained from free-form surface 3D reconstruction method which based on grid projection all distribute along the projected grid lines only, and there is none feature point on the surface among the projected grid lines, which lead to the low accuracy reconstruction. An improved Census transform stereo matching method based on adaptive window is presented to reconstruct the surface among the projected grid lines. The method incorporates feature-based method and region-based method. The grid lines projected on the experimental subject surface are utilized to guide Census transform, the Hamming distance computed by dynamic disparity is used as the matching cost, and the higher accuracy matching points are obtained after filtering. The proposed method is applied on the binary vision 3D reconstruction to validate the improved reconstruction accuracy of surface among the projected grid lines.
The TRIMAGE PET Data Acquisition System: Initial Results

We present the first results obtained with a prototype of the PET read-out electronics of the trimodal PET/MRI/EEG TRIMAGE scanner. The read-out is based on the 64-channel TRIROC ASIC and on an acquisition board that will control up to 12 ASICs. The output of each ASIC is processed in parallel and sent to a host system that in the final version will receive data from 18 acquisition boards. Blocks of 64 SiPMs are one-to-one coupled to a dual-layer staggered LYSO crystal matrix and read by a single ASIC. The FPGA reads the sparse output from the ASICs and reconstructs for each event a full image of the light pattern coming from the LYSO matrix. This pattern can be then processed on-line or sent to the host PC for post-processing. Early tests were conducted by using a prototype board with single LYSO crystals of ${3.3} \textrm {mm}\times {3.3} \textrm {mm} \times {8} \textrm {mm}$ and dual layer staggered LYSO matrices. Results show that the ASIC can sustain input rates above 58 kHz on all its channels, with small variations depending on the discriminating thresholds, being this limit due its digital output stage. With the single crystals setup, we obtained an energy resolution of 10.7% at 511 keV and a coincidence time resolution of 420 ps FWHM. With the staggered matrix the obtained mean energy resolution was 16% on the top layer and 18% on the bottom layer. The flood maps obtained with the LYSO matrix setup show that the pixels on both the staggered levels are clearly identifiable.
An Efficient Data Streams Mining Method for Wireless Sensor Network's Data Aggregation

Wireless distributed sensor systems will enable the reliable monitoring of a variety of environments for both civil and military applications. The data model generated by sensor network is data streams. Because of the rapid data arriving speed and huge size of data set in stream model, novel one-pass algorithms are devised to support data aggregation on demand. In this paper, we focus on data aggregation, which can have significant impact on sensor network. VFDT is one of the most successful algorithms for data streams mining, which uses Hoeffding inequality to achieve a probabilistic bound on the accuracy of the tree constructed; we revisit this problem and propose an efficient algorithm for handling wireless sensor network’s streaming data. In order to examine this algorithm, we study its performance with different data noise level, number of sensor network nodes and number of data. Overall, the techniques introduced here can handle wireless sensor network’s data efficiently.
Observational Models of Graphite Pencil Materials

This paper presents models for graphite pencil, drawing paper, blenders, and kneaded eraser that produce realistic looking pencil marks, textures, and tones. Our models are based on an observation of how lead pencils interact with drawing paper, and on the absorptive and dispersive properties of blenders and erasers interacting with lead material deposited over drawing paper. The models consider parameters such as the particle composition of the lead, the texture of the paper, the position and shape of the pencil materials, and the pressure applied to them. We demonstrate the capabilities of our approach with a variety of images and compare them to digitized pencil drawings. We also present image‐based rendering results implementing traditional graphite pencil tone rendering methods.
Common Neural Basis for Phoneme Processing in Infants and Adults

Investigating the degree of similarity between infants' and adults' representation of speech is critical to our understanding of infants' ability to acquire language. Phoneme perception plays a crucial role in language processing, and numerous behavioral studies have demonstrated similar capacities in infants and adults, but are these subserved by the same neural substrates or networks? In this article, we review event-related potential (ERP) results obtained in infants during phoneme discrimination tasks and compare them to results from the adult literature. The striking similarities observed both in behavior and ERPs between initial and mature stages suggest a continuity in processing and neural structure. We argue that infants have access at the beginning of life to phonemic representations, which are modified without training or implicit instruction, but by the statistical distributions of speech input in order to converge to the native phonemic categories.
Health beliefs among African American women regarding genetic testing and counseling for sickle cell disease

Purpose: The Health Belief Model can help in understanding low acceptance of disease prevention and screening. We studied health beliefs of African American women to determine causes of low acceptance of genetic testing and counseling despite high prevalence of sickle cell disease and heterozygotes in this population.Methods: An anonymous questionnaire using a 12-question measure with a 5-point Likert scale response was administered to 101 African American women attending an obstetrics and gynecology clinic to determine knowledge of sickle cell disease, perception of risk, severity, likelihood of benefit and barriers to counseling.Results: The cumulative mean perceived scores on the 5-point Likert scale were 4.22 ± 0.88 for severity of sickle cell disease, 4.10 ± 1.03 for benefit of genetic testing, 2.28 ± 1.00 for barriers to testing, and 2.62 ± 1.06 for risk of having a child with sickle cell disease. High average level knowledge was associated with high perception of severity and benefit to screening (P < 0.05). Conclusion: African American women have a relatively high belief of the severity of sickle cell disease and benefits of genetic counseling but frequently do not appear to believe that they are at risk of having a child with the disease. This should be taken into account in the design of educational and counseling strategies.
Security countermeasures in the cyber-world

Companies and individuals are becoming more dependant on technology, automated processes, the Internet of Things (IoT) and daily use of internet, mobile devices, and other tools that the technological revolution has created. But against the back-drop of rapid technological progress, cyber-threats have become a serious challenge that require immediate, continuous action. As cyber-crime poses an ever-present and growing threat, corporate and individual users of the cyber-space are constantly struggling to ensure an acceptable level of security with respect to their assets. Based on an analysis of 4,785 attacks deployed world-wide in recent years, this paper outlines the correlations and patterns identified, with the final objective of defining security countermeasures that organisations from certain business sectors could implement in order to focus their limited resources and budget on mitigating the right risks.
The Geopolitics of Emotions

Geopolitics is not only a matter of rationality, of interests and political calculations. It does not only carry out cold analyses of precise data concerning borders, economic resources and military or financial power, it also examines a whole panoply of emotions which contribute, in their turn, to modelling the world: fear vs. hope, hope vs. humility, humility vs. irrationality and violence, etc. There are positive emotions and negative emotions, what matters is finding the right balance and rejoicing and grieving moderately. There is, then, such a thing as a geopolitics and a geo-economics of the emotions, which powerfully emerged, during the last few years, in the Arab world, for instance, in relation with the economic crisis, with the growth and decay of the great powers, etc. Some evolutions became revolutions, or they degenerated into wars, there certainly was much passion. Mapping the emotions of the world can save us many unpleasant surprises, it can help us identify the moments when history accelerates and foresee the evolution of international relations for the following years. The Arab world, for instance, had been feeling humiliated for a long time, and it was expected to overcome its fears and go out in the street. They are only united by their submission to Allah and their hatred for the Western world. At the same time, it was clear that hope was revived in Asia, because the culture of hope that they had created millennia ago was resurfacing.
Environmental Skill: Motivation, Knowledge, and the Possibility of a Non-Romantic Environmental Ethics

1. Introduction Part I: Environmental Motivation and Knowledge: Ancient and Modern Lessons from Philosophy and Psychology 2. The Moral Psychology of Environmental "Sin" 3. Lessons from Contemporary Psychology Part II: The Janus Face of Modern Environmentalism: Enlightenment and Romanticism 4. Enlightenment Reason and Liberation Politics 5. Romantic Feeling for Nature Part III: Beyond, Nature, beyond Modernity, beyond Thinking: A Non-Romantic, Non-Modern Approach 6. Beyond "Nature" and Modernity: Towards Non-Dualistic Thinking 7. Beyond Environmental Thinking (1): Skilled Engagement 8. Beyond Environmental Thinking (2): Exercising Virtue and Moral Sentiment Part IV: Implications for Environmental Ethics and Philosophy of Technology 9. Implications for Environmental Ethics (1): Beyond Walking in "Nature" 10. Implications for Environmental Ethics (2): Exploring the Possibility of Non-Modern and Non-Romantic Environmental Living 11. The Art of Environmental Practice as an Ethics of Skill: Revisiting the Problem of Technology and its Relation to Alienation 12. Conclusion: The Possibility of a New Environmental Ethics
The 2ch hybrid subtractive beamformer applied to line sound sources

A small-scale microphone array generally adopts the subtractive beamforming technique, which constructs sharp notches in a spatial beampattern, so that target sound sources are assumed as point sound sources. However, the shapes of actual sound sources are various and not always points. Our mouths are line sound sources or plane sound sources. It is important to deal with line sound sources when we apply the sub-tractive beamformer to speech signal processing. This paper proposes a hybrid subtractive beamformer that combines several 2ch subtractive beamformers properly in each frequency to expand the width of a sharp notch. The feasibility of the proposed hybrid subtractive beamformer is conﬁrmed by performance tests in suppressing the signals from line sound sources.
COLLEGE STUDENTS’ USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT ALCOHOL AND DRINKING BEHAVIORS

OF DISSERTATION COLLEGE STUDENTS’ USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT ALCOHOL AND DRINKING BEHAVIORS Social networking sites (SNSs) are an increasingly popular channel for communication among college students. Often students disclose more freely via social networking sites than they would in other situations. These disclosures commonly include information about engaging in risky health behaviors (e.g., binge drinking). Study 1 examined students’ impression management goals and self-presentation tactics specifically related to self-disclosures of drinking behavior on SNSs. Findings suggest that students use differing self-presentation tactics across various SNSs in order to achieve their impression management goals and to avoid consequences associated with disclosing about risky health behaviors to certain audiences. Study 2 sought to develop and measure SNS communication about alcohol related activities (SNCAA). It used the theory of normative social behavior as framework for investigating and predicting SNCAA. Additional variables that predict SNCAA were also identified. Findings demonstrate partial fit of the TNSB as a framework for explaining SNCAA. The overarching results of this project suggest a need for interventions aimed at reducing students’ SNCAA as well as increasing their overall knowledge about privacy and safety online.