Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Gaia-ESO Survey: Stellar content and elemental abundances in the massive cluster NGC 6705

Context. Chemically inhomogeneous populations are observed in most globular clusters, but not in open clusters. Cluster mass seems to play a key role in the existence of multiple populations. Aims. Studying the chemical homogeneity of the most massive open clusters is needed to better understand the mechanism of their formation and determine the mass limit under which clusters cannot host multiple populations. Here we studied NGC 6705, which is a young and massive open cluster located towards the inner region of the Milky Way. This cluster is located inside the solar circle. This makes it an important tracer of the inner disk abundance gradient. Methods. This study makes use of BVI and ri photometry and comparisons with theoretical isochrones to derive the age of NGC 6705. We study the density profile of the cluster and the mass function to infer the cluster mass. Based on abundances of the chemical elements distributed in the first internal data release of the Gaia-ESO Survey, we study elemental ratios and the chemical homogeneity of the red clump stars. Radial velocities enable us to study the rotation and internal kinematics of the cluster. Results. The estimated ages range from 250 to 316 Myr, depending on the adopted stellar model. Luminosity profiles and mass functions show strong signs of mass segregation. We derive the mass of the cluster from its luminosity function and from the kinematics, finding values between 3700 M-circle dot and 11 000 M-circle dot. After selecting the cluster members from their radial velocities, we obtain a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.10 +/- 0.06 based on 21 candidate members. Moreover, NGC 6705 shows no sign of the typical correlations or anti-correlations between Al, Mg, Si, and Na, which are expected in multiple populations. This is consistent with our cluster mass estimate, which is lower than the required mass limit proposed in the literature to develop multiple populations.
Multilocus Sequence Analysis for Assessment of Phylogenetic Diversity and Biogeography in Thalassospira Bacteria from Diverse Marine Environments

Thalassospira bacteria are widespread and have been isolated from various marine environments. Less is known about their genetic diversity and biogeography, as well as their role in marine environments, many of them cannot be discriminated merely using the 16S rRNA gene. To address these issues, in this report, the phylogenetic analysis of 58 strains from seawater and deep sea sediments were carried out using the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on acsA, aroE, gyrB, mutL, rpoD and trpB genes, and the DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) based on genome sequences. The MLSA analysis demonstrated that the 58 strains were clearly separated into 15 lineages, corresponding to seven validly described species and eight potential novel species. The DDH and ANI values further confirmed the validity of the MLSA analysis and eight potential novel species. The MLSA interspecies gap of the genus Thalassospira was determined to be 96.16–97.12% sequence identity on the basis of the combined analyses of the DDH and MLSA, while the ANIm interspecies gap was 95.76–97.20% based on the in silico DDH analysis. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analyses showed that the Thalassospira bacteria exhibited distribution pattern to a certain degree according to geographic regions. Moreover, they clustered together according to the habitats depth. For short, the phylogenetic analyses and biogeography of the Thalassospira bacteria were systematically investigated for the first time. These results will be helpful to explore further their ecological role and adaptive evolution in marine environments.
3D Time-Resolved Contrast-Enhanced Cerebrovascular MR Angiography with Subsecond Frame Update Times Using Radial k-Space Trajectories and Highly Constrained Projection Reconstruction

SUMMARY: HYPR TRICKS is an acquisition method that combines radial k-space trajectories, sampling k-space at different rates (TRICKS), and a new strategy for image reconstruction that uses highly constrained backprojection reconstruction (HYPR). This approach provides 3D time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiograms of the cerebral vessels with subsecond frame update times and submillimeter in-plane spatial resolution. Artifacts are suppressed, and signal-to-noise ratio is well maintained, by using HYPR reconstruction.
Physiological and Proteomic Adaptation of the Alpine Grass Stipa purpurea to a Drought Gradient

Stipa purpurea, an endemic forage species on the Tibetan Plateau, is highly resistant to cold and drought, but the mechanisms underlying its responses to drought stress remain elusive. An understanding of such mechanisms may be useful for developing cultivars that are adaptable to water deficit. In this study, we analyzed the physiological and proteomic responses of S. purpurea under increasing drought stress. Seedlings of S. purpurea were subjected to a drought gradient in a controlled experiment, and proteins showing changes in abundance under these conditions were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis. A western blotting analysis was conducted to confirm the increased abundance of a heat-shock protein, NCED2, and a dehydrin in S. purpurea seedlings under drought conditions. We detected carbonylated proteins to identify oxidation-sensitive proteins in S. purpurea seedlings, and found that ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (RuBisCO) was one of the oxidation-sensitive proteins under drought. Together, these results indicated drought stress might inhibit photosynthesis in S. purpurea by oxidizing RuBisCO, but the plants were able to maintain photosynthetic efficiency by a compensatory upregulation of unoxidized RuBisCO and other photosynthesis-related proteins. Further analyses confirmed that increased abundance of antioxidant enzymes could balance the redox status of the plants to mitigate drought-induced oxidative damage.
Panniculectomy with simultaneous gynecologic oncology surgery.

OBJECTIVE The objective was to report the utility and morbidity of panniculectomy in obese gynecologic oncology patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy. METHODS A retrospective chart review of 41 consecutive women who had a panniculectomy as part of an abdominal gynecologic oncology procedure between July 1996 and May 2000 was performed. Obese patients possessing a large pannus, the majority with a BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2), were included. Demographic, preoperative, operative, and postoperative data were obtained. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Version 6.13. RESULTS Panniculectomy was performed on 41 patients with a mean age of 55, weight of 126 kg, and BMI of 48 kg/m(2). The most common comorbidities in this population were hypertension, diabetes, and osteoarthritis. Wound infection occurred in 4 (9.8%) patients; 88% of the patients received a hysterectomy. The average EBL was 358 cc. Operative time and length of hospital stay were on average 203 min and 5.5 days, respectively. A prior history of diabetes increased the risk of early complications (P = 0.03). Late complications were more likely to occur in older women (P = 0.05). Wound complications were increased in patients with larger BMI's (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study supports the safety of the panniculectomy procedure in this high-risk group of morbidly obese patients for whom a technical advantage may be achieved by improved operative exposure.
Pulmonary , gastrointestinal and urogenital pharmacology Canagli fl ozin protects against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in type-2 diabetic rats through zinc alpha-2 glycoprotein up-regulation

Elevated blood glucose and insulin resistance are triggering factors for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We investigated the effects of the Sodium Glucose co-Transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor canagliflozin on NASH development in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as the possible underlying mechanisms and for the first time the effect of canagliflozin on the hepatic zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) levels. Rats were treated with nicotinamide and streptozotocin to reduce the insulin secretory capacity then fed high fat diet for 8 weeks. The diabetic high fat diet rats were divided into three groups; untreated group, canagliflozin 10mg/kg treated group and canagliflozin 20mg/kg treated group during this period. The elevated blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in the diabetic high fat diet rats were significantly reduced by canagliflozin. Moreover, the diabetic high fat diet induced NASH development as evidenced by liver weight gain, hepatic lipid accumulation and low hepatic ZAG expression as well as increased serum alanine aminotransferase; all these changes were reversed in rats treated with canagliflozin. Additionally, canagliflozin succeeded to upregulate the hepatic ZAG levels in both normal and diabetic high fat fed rats, lower the serum and hepatic inflammatory cytokines levels as well as lower the serum caspase-3 levels and enhanced hepatic Bcl-2 expression. Also, canagliflozin attenuated hepatic oxidative stress and elevated the antioxidant enzymes activity as well as the total antioxidant capacity. All these effects of canagliflozin were dose dependant. Conclusion: SGLT2 inhibitor-canagliflozinhas beneficial effects in treatment of NASH associated with diabetes mellitus.
Codon harmonization – going beyond the speed limit for protein expression

Codon usage distribution has been soundly used by nature to fine tune protein biogenesis. Alteration of the mRNA structure or sequential scheduling of codons can profoundly affect translation, thus altering protein yield, functionality, solubility, and proper folding. Building on these observations, here, we present an evaluation of different recently designed algorithms of sequence adaptation based on Codon Adaptation Index (CAI) profiling. The first algorithm globally harmonizes synonymous codons in the original sequence in full respect to the heterologous expression host codon usage. The second recodes the sequence in accordance with the native sequence CAI profile. Our data, generated on three model proteins, highlights the importance to consider gene recoding as a parameter itself for recombinant protein expression improvement.
Inferring the Evolution of Galaxy Morphology Robert Lunde

We can observe galaxies at different points in time by observing those that vary in distance. It takes a longer time for light from farther galaxies to reach Earth and therefore the light we receive from these galaxies carries information from longer ago compared to closer galaxies. Since a galaxy’s distance from Earth is not easily estimated, we instead use redshift (z) as a proxy for distance. Redshift is defined as:
Modern Developments in the Theory and Applications of Moving Frames

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State-Space Abstractions for Probabilistic Inference: A Systematic Review

Tasks such as social network analysis, human behavior recognition, or modeling biochemical reactions, can be solved elegantly by using the probabilistic inference framework. However, standard probabilistic inference algorithms work at a propositional level, and thus cannot capture the symmetries and redundancies that are present in these tasks. Algorithms that exploit those symmetries have been devised in different research fields, for example by the lifted inference-, multiple object tracking-, and modeling and simulation-communities. The common idea, that we call state space abstraction, is to perform inference over compact representations of sets of symmetric states. Although they are concerned with a similar topic, the relationship between these approaches has not been investigated systematically. This survey provides the following contributions. We perform a systematic literature review to outline the state of the art in probabilistic inference methods exploiting symmetries. From an initial set of more than 4,000 papers, we identify 116 relevant papers. Furthermore, we provide new high-level categories that classify the approaches, based on common properties of the approaches. The research areas underlying each of the categories are introduced concisely. Researchers from different fields that are confronted with a state space explosion problem in a probabilistic system can use this classification to identify possible solutions. Finally, based on this conceptualization, we identify potentials for future research, as some relevant application domains are not addressed by current approaches.
Liquid distribution in a semi-industrial packed column - experimental and theory

The scientific interest in the efficiency of packed bed columns is part of the world-wide pursuit of sustainability of processes. The maldistribution of the phases in the apparatus reduces the efficiency and makes difficult the prediction of process performance and scaling up. In the present work the operation of liquid distribution devices and high performance packings are investigated addressing the reasons for hydrodynamic non-uniformity of the liquid phase, including the formation and development of wall flow. Data are obtained from semi-industrial size experimental studies and mathematical modeling of the liquid flow through a layer of random Raschig Super-Ring packing. The effect of measures for ensuring uniform initial liquid distribution in the column apparatus is evaluated and the parameters in the mathematical model are identified.
mirrorU: Scaffolding Emotional Reflection via In-Situ Assessment and Interactive Feedback

We present mirrorU, a mobile system that supports users to reflect on and write about their daily emotional experience. While prior work has focused primarily on providing memory triggers or affective cues, mirrorU provides in-situ assessment and interactive feedback to scaffold reflective writing. It automatically and continuously monitors the composition process in three dimensions (i.e., level of detail, overall valence, and cognitive engagement) and provides relevant feedback to support reflection. In a 24-subject pilot deployment, we found that such scaffolding and feedback could help users compose longer reflections with more positive emotion words as well as more insight and causal words. We discuss how the literature on emotional writing informed mirrorU's design, and highlight the major findings as well as the lessons learned from the pilot study.
Understanding turn models for adaptive routing: The modular approach

Routing algorithms were extensively studied first in multi-computer systems, then in multi- and many-core architectures. Among the commonly used routing techniques, the turn model seems the most promising solution when targeting adaptiveness. Based on the turn model, several alternative approaches with different turn prohibition schemes were proposed. This paper gives a new theoretical background for designing deadlock-free partially adaptive logic-based distributed routing algorithms that are based on the turn model. Two properties are presented, including a necessary and sufficient condition to prove that a routing algorithm is deadlock-free as long as turn restrictions follow a modular distribution. Existing approaches can be considered a subset of the solution space identified by this work. Finally, we propose a novel routing algorithm exhibiting encouraging performance improvements over state-of-the-art approaches.
A comparison between rad-hard float zone silicon diodes as gamma dosimeter in radiation processing

In this work, we report on the results obtained with rad-hard Standard Float Zone (STFZ) and Diffused Oxygenated Float Zone (DOFZ) silicon diodes in radiation processing dosimetry. The dosimetric probes were designed to operate in the direct current mode, as on-line radiation dosimeter. The irradiation of the samples was performed using a 60Co source with a dose rate of almost 2.4 kGy/h. The current response of each diode was measured as a function of the exposure time in steps from 5 kGy up to 50 kGy to achieve a total absorbed dose of 275 kGy. In this dose range it is observed a significant decrease in the photocurrent generated in both devices due to gamma radiation defects produced in their active volumes. To mitigate this effect, the samples were pre-irradiated with Co-60 gamma rays at 700 kGy. Despite of being less sensitive, these devices presented stable and reproducible current signals with a relative sensitivity decrease of about 19% within the whole range of dose studied. The dose-response curves of the pre-irradiated diodes showed quadratic behavior with correlation coefficient higher than 0.9999 for total absorbed dose up to 275 kGy. The comparison of the FZ and DOFZ responses evidenced that the latter was slightly superior to the first. However, it is important to note that all pre-irradiated diodes can be used as gamma dosimeters in radiation processing applications.
Zeeman deceleration of electron-impact-excited metastable helium atoms

We present experimental results that demonstrate—for the first time—the Zeeman deceleration of helium atoms in the metastable 23S1 state. A more than 40% decrease of the kinetic energy of the beam is achieved for deceleration from 490 m s−1 to a final velocity of 370 m s−1. Metastable atom generation is achieved with an electron-impact-excitation source whose performance is enhanced through an additional discharge-type process which we characterize in detail. Metastable helium is efficiently generated even in a mixture of other noble gases that have much lower excitation energies. Comparison of deceleration data at different electron beam pulse durations confirms that a matching between the initial particle distribution and the phase-space acceptance of the decelerator is crucial for the production of a decelerated packet with a well-defined velocity distribution. The experimental findings are in good agreement with three-dimensional numerical particle trajectory simulations.
An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for detecting redirection spam

Redirection spam detection is important to maintain the integrity of information on World Wide Web. It is of prime interest to search engines for quality information retrieval. Malicious redirections break the trust of users and create unusual traffic leading to wastage of expensive bandwidth and other resources. But detecting redirections is complicated owing to the genuine use of redirections for load balancing and URL shortening. Present work addresses this problem of malicious redirections and proposes an adaptive neuro-fuzzy model (ANFIS) for its detection. The model takes five input features and uses hybrid algorithm for learning. We also employ subtractive clustering technique to reduce the training time so as to facilitate the quick decision making. The proposed model is tested and validated using datasets. The experimental results indicate that the model detects redirection spam with high accuracy. Therefore, the proposed model can be used as an effective approach for redirection spam detection.
Proteomic profiling of Ganoderma tsugae ethanol extract‐induced adipogenesis displaying browning features

Ganoderma is classified as a top grade traditional Chinese medicine for promoting human health by regulating ‘vital energy’. Its potency towards metabolism and energy homeostasis, particularly, metabolic adaptations of adipocytes, needs to be re‐evaluated through an evidence‐based study. Here, the triterpenoid‐rich Ganoderma tsugae ethanol extract (GTEE) was found to contribute towards adipogenesis accompanied with elevated intracellular lipid metabolic flux. Additionally, proteomic profiling revealed GTEE‐upregulated mitochondrial remodeling and chemical energy redox modifications, which display UCP1‐positive browning fat‐selective features and a NADH‐mediated adaptive mechanism. GTEE‐treated mice with diet‐induced obesity also resulted in the amelioration of white adipocyte hypertrophy and the appearance of UCP1‐positive browning adipocytes. Our novel findings unravel that GTEE could promote intracellular metabolic flexibility and plasticity followed by the induction of adipocyte browning.
Participatory Design of a Virtual Reality Exercise for People with Mild Cognitive Impairment

This case study describes the creation of a head-mounted display virtual reality exergame program for promoting physical exercise for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), namely people with early-stage dementia. We engaged in an iterative participatory design process with kinesiologists, recreational therapists, and people with MCI prior to pilot-testing a prototype program with three persons with MCI. The test participants engaged in the exergame, were able to do the exercises, and their feedback was very positive. Engaging with professionals and people with dementia throughout the design process was very beneficial to creating a usable and engaging design as well as identifying areas that could be further improved. In conclusion, the approach illustrated through this case study resulted a new way for older adults with MCI to engage in physical activities that is fun and tailored to their abilities. The next phase in our research is to evaluate the exergame against comparable human-guided movements.
Preparation of Mono-Dispersed Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) with Dodecyl Itaconate and Its Utilization in Paper-Making

Dodecyl itaconate (DI) was used as the dispersant for preparation of mono-dispersed carbon nanotubes in aqueous solution in this study. It is a unique type of anionic surfactant synthesized by the authors, and its high capability for dispersing CNTs is attributed to the double bond moiety on its head-group. Furthermore, author mixed aqueous mono-dispersed CNTs with pulp to produce the CNT-based paper. Different from the reported papermaking process, a novel adjusting PH process was employed to prepare paper. This method could transfer easily dispersing mono-dispersed CNTs in aqueous onto the surfaces of cellulose fibers, because PH adjustment of CNT-pulp is from the initial neutrality to weak acidity and then raising to alkalinity, The dispersion of tubes in cellulose matrix and characteristics of composite were investigated. Also, electrical resistance for retrieved CNT-based sheets was measured using fore-probe method.
Effects of combined endurance and resistance training in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A pilot, randomized, controlled study

Based on available evidence, muscle strengthening and cardiovascular exercises can help maintain function and not adversely affect the progression of disease in patients with ALS. However, this evidence is not sufficiently detailed to recommend a specific exercise prescription. The purpose of this project was to assess clinical outcomes of a combined exercise programme to increase knowledge of rehabilitation in ALS patients. 38 ALS patients were assigned randomly to two groups: one group underwent a specific exercise programme (ALS-EP) based on a moderate aerobic workout and isometric contractions, and the second group followed a standard neuromotor rehabilitation treatment. Objective evaluation consisted of cardiovascular measures, muscle strength and fatigue. Some positive effects of physical activity on ALS patients were found. Among the benefits, an overall improvement of functional independence in all patients, independently of the type of exercise conducted was seen. In addition, improvements in muscle power, oxygen consumption and fatigue were specifically observed in the ALS-EP group, all hallmarks of a training effect for the specific exercises. In conclusion, moderate intensity exercise is beneficial in ALS, helping in avoiding deconditioning and muscle atrophy resulting from progressive inactivity.