Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Head-Mounted Ethanol Sensors to Monitor Olfactory Information and Determine Behavioral Changes Associated with Ethanol-Plume Contact during Mouse Odor-Guided Navigation

Abstract Olfaction guides navigation and decision-making in organisms from multiple animal phyla. Understanding how animals use olfactory cues to guide navigation is a complicated problem for two main reasons. First, the sensory cues used to guide animals to the source of an odor consist of volatile molecules, which form plumes. These plumes are governed by turbulent air currents, resulting in an intermittent and spatiotemporally varying olfactory signal. A second problem is that the technologies for chemical quantification are cumbersome and cannot be used to detect what the freely moving animal senses in real time. Understanding how the olfactory system guides this behavior requires knowing the sensory cues and the accompanying brain signals during navigation. Here, we present a method for real-time monitoring of olfactory information using low-cost, lightweight sensors that robustly detect common solvent molecules, like alcohols, and can be easily mounted on the heads of freely behaving mice engaged in odor-guided navigation. To establish the accuracy and temporal response properties of these sensors we compared their responses with those of a photoionization detector (PID) to precisely controlled ethanol stimuli. Ethanol-sensor recordings, deconvolved using a difference-of-exponentials kernel, showed robust correlations with the PID signal at behaviorally relevant time, frequency, and spatial scales. Additionally, calcium imaging of odor responses from the olfactory bulbs (OBs) of awake, head-fixed mice showed strong correlations with ethanol plume contacts detected by these sensors. Finally, freely behaving mice engaged in odor-guided navigation showed robust behavioral changes such as speed reduction that corresponded to ethanol plume contacts.
Temperature-Dependent Raman Studies and Thermal Conductivity of Few-Layer MoS2

We report on the temperature dependence of in-plane E2g and out-of-plane A1g Raman modes in high-quality few-layer MoS2 (FLMS) prepared using a high-temperature vapor-phase method. The materials obtained were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The frequencies of these two phonon modes were found to vary linearly with temperature. The first-order temperature coefficients for E12g and A1g modes were found to be (1.32 and 1.23) × 10–2 cm–1/K, respectively. The thermal conductivity of the suspended FLMS at room temperature was estimated to be ∼52 W/mK.
An analysis of litter nitrogen dynamics using artificial soils across a gradient of forest soil disturbances

The release of nutrients from a standard litter is often assumed to be solely a function of its decomposition rate. We tested whether nitrogen release would also be influenced by soil attributes affected by disturbance, such as interactions with soil microflora. Changes in nitrogen contents of decaying litter (Populus balsamifera) were compared across soil compaction and organic matter removal treatments in central British Columbia, using artificial materials to isolate litter bags from contact with forest floors or mineral soil. After 30 mo, nitrogen content of litter was only slightly higher on artificial soils than actual soils, suggesting that most nitrogen had been lost by leaching. A significant interaction, however, was detected in leaf nitrogen content between organic matter removal and soil compaction treatments that was not found on the artificial soils. This difference in nitrogen release led to a range in C:N ratios of 28 to 32 (from an initial C:N ratio of 52) for leaves at 1.5 g (70% mass lo.
A Convenient Synthesis of (−)-Paroxetine

A convenient synthesis of the antidepressant paroxetine starting from 1-benzyl-4-piperidone (2) is reported. A stereoselective reduction resulted in cis-piperidine-3-methanol [(+)-6]. The reaction between cis-piperidine-3-methanol mesylate (7) and sesamol led to benzyl-protected trans-paroxetine (9) through an inversion reaction of the stereogenic center at position 3. The latter compound was deprotected by hydrogenolysis. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004)
Structural and thermal behaviour of human tooth and three synthetic hydroxyapatites from 20 to 600 °C

The structural and thermal properties of human tooth enamel, dentine and three synthetic hydroxyapatite samples with Ca/P ratios of 1.57 (Ca deficiency), 1.67 and 1.77 (Ca excess), respectively, were analysed in the temperature range from 20 to 600 °C to have information on the parameters involved in the ionic/electrical conductivities reported for human tooth enamel between 200 and 350 °C approximately. Studies were carried out through x-ray diffraction, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption. Chemical analysis was performed by x-ray characteristic energy dispersive spectroscopy. Results indicate a strong correlation between the removal of the OH− groups from the hydroxyapatite unit cell and the expulsion of absorbed water and lattice water registered during heating.
Readiness for open educational resources: a study of Hong Kong

As one of the most developed cities in terms of information technologies and internet penetration, Hong Kong possesses a high technological potential for the growth and bloom of open educational resources (OER). Yet, previous studies have shown that the use of OER in the territory has been rather limited and that potential users’ reluctance and ambivalence towards it has constrained to its development. This paper reports a study being carried out as the initial phase of a project to gauge user readiness at intervals over a period of three years. It first explains the project plan and this study, which covers both teachers and students in Hong Kong. Through a survey, the study attempts to determine their readiness to use and their contribution to OER. It assesses the respondents’ awareness of resources available, experience of using and contributing to OER, satisfaction level, and attitude towards open licenses. Preliminary findings show that tertiary students, despite their high computer literacy, have some but limited familiarity with OER. A majority of them only have experience in using Wikipedia, but have never contributed to OER. Further institutional and instructional support is needed to enhance their awareness of available resources and benefits of using and contributing to them.
The stable states picture of chemical reactions. II. Rate constants for condensed and gas phase reaction models

The time correlation function (tcf) formulas for rate constants κ derived via the stable states picture (SSP) of chemical reactions are applied to a wide variety (a–d) of gas and solution phase reaction models. (a) For gas phase bimolecular reactions, we show that the flux tcf governing κ corresponds to standard numerical trajectory calculation methods. Alternate formulas for κ are derived which focus on saddle point surfaces, thus increasing computational efficiency. Advantages of the SSP formulas for κ are discussed. (b) For gas phase unimolecular reactions, simple results for κ are found in both the strong and weak coupling collision limits; the often ignored role of product stabilization is exposed for reversible isomerizations. The SSP results correct some standard weak coupling rate constant results by as much as 50%. (c) For barrier crossing reactions in solution, we evaluate κ for a generalized (non‐Markovian) Langevin description of the dynamics. For several realistic models of time dependent fri.
Mobile LiDAR Scanning System Combined with Canopy Morphology Extracting Methods for Tree Crown Parameters Evaluation in Orchards

To meet the demand for canopy morphological parameter measurements in orchards, a mobile scanning system is designed based on the 3D Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm. The system uses a lightweight LiDAR-Inertial Measurement Unit (LiDAR-IMU) state estimator and a rotation-constrained optimization algorithm to reconstruct a point cloud map of the orchard. Then, Statistical Outlier Removal (SOR) filtering and European clustering algorithms are used to segment the orchard point cloud from which the ground information has been separated, and the k-nearest neighbour (KNN) search algorithm is used to restore the filtered point cloud. Finally, the height of the fruit trees and the volume of the canopy are obtained by the point cloud statistical method and the 3D alpha-shape algorithm. To verify the algorithm, tracked robots equipped with LIDAR and an IMU are used in a standardized orchard. Experiments show that the system in this paper can reconstruct the orchard point cloud environment with high accuracy and can obtain the point cloud information of all fruit trees in the orchard environment. The accuracy of point cloud-based segmentation of fruit trees in the orchard is 95.4%. The R2 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values of crown height are 0.93682 and 0.04337, respectively, and the corresponding values of canopy volume are 0.8406 and 1.5738, respectively. In summary, this system achieves a good evaluation result of orchard crown information and has important application value in the intelligent measurement of fruit trees.
Characterization of Limited Duty Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries and Return to Duty Times in the U.S. Army During 2017-2018.

INTRODUCTION Neuromusculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) are the leading cause of medical encounters, lost or limited duty days, medical evacuations, and disability in the U.S. Army. In the U.S. Army, objective MSKI incidence rate metrics can be determined through medical encounter data (M2SKIs) with International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9 and ICD 10 codes or through documented limited duty profiles (LDPs) documenting time-loss MSKI (TLMSKI). The purpose of the current study was to characterize the population incidence of TLMSKIs among U.S. Army soldiers. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by the Medical Research and Development Command's Institutional Review Board. This was a retrospective population-level study. The U.S. Army's eProfile system was utilized to characterize all LDPs issued during 2017-2018 and to describe the body regions injured and activities associated with these TLMSKIs. RESULTS The incidence rate of TLMSKIs was found to be 44 and 40 TLMSKI/100 soldier-years for 2017 and 2018, respectively, which is lower than previously published incidence rates using MSKI receiving medical care. Approximately one quarter of the total active duty Army population in 2017 and 2018 recorded limited duty injuries, where those to the ankle/foot region resulted in the most LDPs and those to the knee resulted in the most lost duty days. The majority of all TLMSKIs were associated with fitness training-related activities. CONCLUSION This descriptive study is the first to present the U.S. Army population rates for MSKIs that result in LDPs, representing key time losses when soldiers cannot participate in their military occupational and physical training tasks. This study utilizes the LDP system to calculate limited duty days instead of attempting to estimate this information from other means. The eProfile system is limited in that it combines body regions such as ankle/foot and does not allow isolation of ankle or foot independently. It is recommended that research and training programs target the identification, development, and validation of effective and scaleable strategies to maximize performance without severely reducing combat effectiveness because of training TLMSKIs.
Permissive selection followed by affinity-based proliferation of GC light zone B cells dictates cell fate and ensures clonal breadth

Significance Light zone (LZ) B cells are selected in germinal centers (GCs) in a cMyc-dependent manner, before dark zone (DZ) migration. Antigen affinity of B cells is enhanced during GC responses, and some differentiate into plasmablasts or memory B cells (MBCs). Currently, GC selection is presumed as a competitive affinity-dependent process. This cannot explain retention of GC B cells with varied affinities. We identified cMyc+ LZ B cell subpopulations enriched with either higher-affinity plasmablast precursors or lower-affinity MBC precursors and future DZ entrants, which diverged soon after permissive selection. Future DZ entrants’ affinity was enhanced through preferential proliferation of higher-affinity cells, and lower-affinity cells were retained in GCs. These findings elucidate mechanistically how GC selection ensures clonal diversity for broad protection. Affinity maturation depends on how efficiently germinal centers (GCs) positively select B cells in the light zone (LZ). Positively selected GC B cells recirculate between LZs and dark zones (DZs) and ultimately differentiate into plasmablasts (PBs) and memory B cells (MBCs). Current understanding of the GC reaction presumes that cMyc-dependent positive selection of LZ B cells is a competitive affinity-dependent process; however, this cannot explain the production of GC-derived lower-affinity MBCs or retention of GC B cells with varied affinities. Here, by combining single-cell/bulk RNA sequencing and flow cytometry, we identified and characterized temporally and functionally distinct positively selected cMyc+ GC B cell subpopulations. cMyc+ LZ B cell subpopulations enriched with either higher- or lower-affinity cells diverged soon after permissive positive selection. The former subpopulation contained PB precursors, whereas the latter comprised less proliferative MBC precursors and future DZ entrants. The overall affinity of future DZ entrants was enhanced in the LZ through preferential proliferation of higher-affinity cells. Concurrently, lower-affinity cells were retained in GCs and protected from apoptosis. These findings redefine positive selection as a dynamic process generating three distinct B cell fates and elucidate how positive selection ensures clonal diversity for broad protection.
Ionic Silicon Protects Oxidative Damage and Promotes Skeletal Muscle Cell Regeneration

Volumetric muscle loss injuries overwhelm the endogenous regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle, and the associated oxidative damage can delay regeneration and prolong recovery. This study aimed to investigate the effect of silicon-ions on C2C12 skeletal muscle cells under normal and excessive oxidative stress conditions to gain insights into its role on myogenesis during the early stages of muscle regeneration. In vitro studies indicated that 0.1 mM Si-ions into cell culture media significantly increased cell viability, proliferation, migration, and myotube formation compared to control. Additionally, MyoG, MyoD, Neurturin, and GABA expression were significantly increased with addition of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mM of Si-ion for 1 and 5 days of C2C12 myoblast differentiation. Furthermore, 0.1–2.0 mM Si-ions attenuated the toxic effects of H2O2 within 24 h resulting in increased cell viability and differentiation. Addition of 1.0 mM of Si-ions significantly aid cell recovery and protected from the toxic effect of 0.4 mM H2O2 on cell migration. These results suggest that ionic silicon may have a potential effect in unfavorable situations where reactive oxygen species is predominant affecting cell viability, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Furthermore, this study provides a guide for designing Si-containing biomaterials with desirable Si-ion release for skeletal muscle regeneration.
Diesel Exhaust Particulates Enhances Susceptibility of LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury through Upregulation of the IL-17 Cytokine-Derived TGF-β1/Collagen I Expression and Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling in Mice

Diesel exhaust particulates (DEP) adversely affect the respiratory system and exacerbate lung diseases, resulting in high mortality rates. However, its pathogenesis is complicated, and the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. We investigated the effects of DEP pre-exposure on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and identified the roles of interleukin (IL)-17 in mice. Mice were divided into vehicle control, DEP, LPS, and DEP pre-exposed and LPS-instilled groups. Pre-exposure to DEP enhanced the number of total cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the BAL fluid of LPS-instilled mice. Pre-exposure to DEP synergistically exacerbated pulmonary acute lung inflammation and granulomatous inflammation/pulmonary fibrosis, concomitant with the enhanced expression of inflammatory cytokines in the BAL fluid and of collagen I and TGF-β1 in the lungs of LPS-instilled mice. The number of TGF-β1-positive cells in the DEP pre-exposed and LPS-instilled group was higher than that in the LPS group. The expression of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome components was markedly increased in the DEP pre-exposed and LPS-instilled group. IL-17 levels in the BAL fluid and IL-17-positive cells in the lungs were significantly increased by pre-exposure to DEP in the LPS-induced group compared to that in the DEP or LPS group. These results suggest that DEP predominantly contributes to fibrotic lung disease in LPS-related acute lung injury by upregulating IL-17 cytokine-mediated collagen I and TGF-β1 and, at least in part, by activating LPS-induced NLRP3 inflammasome signaling. The study should be useful in devising better strategies for prevention and management of ALI.
Stability and Bifurcation Analysis of a Diffusive miR-9/Hes1 Network With Time Delay

In this paper, a model of miR-9/Hes1 interaction network involving one time delay and diffusion effect under the Neumann boundary conditions is studied. First of all, the stability of the positive equilibrium and the existence of local Hopf bifurcation and Turing-Hopf bifurcation are investigated by analyzing the associated characteristic equation. Second, a algorithm for determining the direction, stability and period of the corresponding bifurcating periodic solutions is presented. The obtained results suggest that the quiescent progenitors (high steady-state Hes1) can be easily excited into oscillation by time delay whereas the differentiated state (low steady-state Hes1) is basically unaffected, and the integrated effect of delay and diffusion can induce the occurrence of spatially inhomogeneous patterns. More importantly, spatially homogeneous/inhomogeneous periodic solutions can exist simultaneously when the diffusion coefficients of Hes1 mRNA and Hes1 protein are appropriately small, conversely, there is only spatially homogeneous periodic solutions. Intriguingly, both temporal patterns and spatial-temporal patterns show that time delay can prompt Hes1 protein to shift from the high concentration state to the low concentration one (“ON” <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\rightarrow$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mo>→</mml:mo></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="liu-ieq1-3050006.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> “OFF”), where Hes1 protein shows low level whereas miR-9 shows high level. Finally, some numerical examples are presented to verify and visualize theoretical results.
Annexin 1 Is a Component of eATP-Induced Cytosolic Calcium Elevation in Arabidopsis thaliana Roots

Extracellular ATP (eATP) has long been established in animals as an important signalling molecule but this is less understood in plants. The identification of Arabidopsis thaliana DORN1 (Does Not Respond to Nucleotides) as the first plant eATP receptor has shown that it is fundamental to the elevation of cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) as a possible second messenger. eATP causes other downstream responses such as increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide, plus changes in gene expression. The plasma membrane Ca2+ influx channels involved in eATP-induced [Ca2+]cyt increase remain unknown at the genetic level. Arabidopsis thaliana Annexin 1 has been found to mediate ROS-activated Ca2+ influx in root epidermis, consistent with its operating as a transport pathway. In this study, the loss of function Annexin 1 mutant was found to have impaired [Ca2+]cyt elevation in roots in response to eATP or eADP. Additionally, this annexin was implicated in modulating eATP-induced intracellular ROS accumulation in roots as well as expression of eATP-responsive genes.
Feasibility of HER2-Targeted Therapy in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Prospective Pilot Study of Trastuzumab Biosimilar in Combination with Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin

Simple Summary Unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) has a poor prognosis with the standard gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis) regimen. Given the considerable incidence of HER2-overexpressing tumours (e.g., >10% of gallbladder cancer), HER2 is a potential therapeutic target in advanced BTC. In this prospective study, 7 out of 41 (17.1%) patients had HER2-positive tumours, and 4 patients (9.8%) subsequently proceeded to receive HER2-targeted therapy. The combination of trastuzumab-pkrb, an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, and GemCis resulted in high overall response (50%) and disease control (100%) rates in HER2-positive advanced BTC patients without new safety issues. This is the first prospective study that suggested the feasibility of HER2-targeted combination chemotherapy in advanced BTC patients. Future prospective randomised trials using HER2-targeted agents are warranted. Abstract The prognosis of advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) is poor with the standard gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis) regimen. Given that the rates of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity in BTC reaches around 15%, HER2-targeted therapy needs further investigation. This study aims to evaluate the preliminary efficacy/safety of first-line trastuzumab-pkrb plus GemCis in patients with advanced BTC. Patients with unresectable/metastatic HER2-positive BTC received trastuzumab-pkrb (on day 1 of each cycle, 8 mg/kg for the first cycle and 6 mg/kg for subsequent cycles), gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8) and cisplatin (25 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8) every 3 weeks. Of the 41 patients screened, 7 had HER2-positive tumours and 4 were enrolled. The median age was 72.5 years (one male). Primary tumour locations included extrahepatic (N = 2) and intrahepatic (N = 1) bile ducts, and gallbladder (N = 1). Best overall response was a partial response in two patients and stable disease in two patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.1 months and median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The most common grade 3 adverse event was neutropenia (75%), but febrile neutropenia did not occur. No patient discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Trastuzumab-pkrb with GemCis showed promising preliminary feasibility in patients with HER2-positive advanced BTC.
Preparation and characterisation of polyvinyl alcohol-CdTe nanocomposites

Polyvinyl alcohol-CdTe nanocomposites were prepared by two methods. The first method, a one-step solution growth technique at room temperature was used to prepare PVA capped CdTe nanoparticles (NPs). The second method was mainly directed to prepare PVA doped with CdTe NPs precipitated before. The characterisation of PVA pure and PVA-CdTe NPs were carried out using the X-ray diffraction, FTIR and (UV-Vis) spectrum. The analyses indicated that the crystal structure of CdTe NPs is cubic and the crystal size of capped particle (8.202 nm) is smaller than that of doped one (18.357 nm).