Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reversible magnetic properties of c-axis-oriented superconducting Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10.

Magnetization measurements on {ital c}-axis-oriented bulk superconducting Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10} have been carried out with the magnetic field applied parallel to the {ital c} axis. Fitting the results to the variation model for magnetization suggested by Hao and Clem shows that the Ginzburg-Landau parameter {kappa} is nearly constant for 74{le}{ital T}{le}86 K, with the value of 170 at 74 K, and slowly increases with temperature from {similar to}86 to {similar to}100 K. {kappa} diverges in the vicinity of {ital T}{sub {ital c}}. This unusual temperature dependence of {kappa}({ital T}) could come from extended fluctuation effects and a limitation of the Hao-Clem theory, which may fail to describe this extremely anisotropic Bi-based superconductor. By fitting the data with the value of {kappa} equal to 170, the deduced values of some of the superconducting parameters are {ital H}{sub {ital c}}(0)=10 600 Oe, {xi}(0){sub {ital a}{ital b}}=10.5{plus minus}0.6 A, {lambda}(0){sub {ital a}{ital b}}=1940{plus minus}13 A, {ital dH}{sub {ital c}2}/{ital dT}{congruent}{minus}3.68 T/K near {ital T}{sub {ital c}}.
Configuration of latent varicella-zoster virus DNA

The configuration of latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA was analyzed by PCR. Template DNA for both internal and terminal VZV primers was present in a 1:1 ratio in ganglionic DNA, compared with a 15:1 ratio in DNA extracted from VZV virions, indicating that the VZV genomic termini are adjacent in latently infected human ganglia.
Type D Personality, Self-Efficacy, and Medication Adherence Following an Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective To assess the relationship among Type D personality, self-efficacy, and medication adherence in patients with coronary heart disease. Methods The study design was prospective and observational. Type D personality, self-efficacy for illness management behaviors, and medication adherence were measured 3 weeks after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome in 165 patients (mean [standard deviation] age = 61.62 [10.61] years, 16% women). Self-reported medication adherence was measured 6 months later in 118 of these patients. Multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were used to address the study research questions. Results Using the original categorical classification, 30% of patients with acute coronary syndrome were classified as having Type D personality. Categorically defined patients with Type D personality had significantly poorer medication adherence at 6 months (r = −0.29, p < .01). Negative affectivity (NA; r = −0.25, p = .01) and social inhibition (r = −0.19, p = .04), the components of Type D personality, were associated with medication adherence 6 months after discharge in bivariate analyses. There was no evidence for the interaction of NA and social inhibition, that is, Type D personality, in the prediction of medication adherence 6 months after discharge in multivariate analysis. The observed association between NA and medication adherence 6 months after discharge could be partly explained by indirect effects through self-efficacy in mediation analysis (coefficient = −0.012; 95% bias-corrected and accelerated confidence interval = −0.036 to −0.001). Conclusions The present data suggest the primacy of NA over the Type D personality construct in predicting medication adherence. Lower levels of self-efficacy may be a mediator between higher levels of NA and poor adherence to medication in patients with coronary heart disease. Abbreviations ACS = acute coronary syndrome; SD = standard deviation
Design and evaluation of AC inductors indispensable to a modular multilevel cascade converter (MMCC-TSBC) for medium-voltage motor drives

This paper provides a theoretical and experimental discussion on ac inductors used in a modular multilevel cascade converter (MMCC) based on triple-star bridge cells (TSBC) for motor drives. The TSBC converter is one of the most promising candidates suitable for low-speed, high-torque motor drives. It requires ac inductors for the cluster current control, and the three kinds of inductors exist: non-coupled inductors, zigzag inductors, and three-legged three-winding inductors. This paper proposes a new set of ac inductors consisting of three three-legged cores with special windings. The proposed set of inductors is characterized by canceling out the flux produced by not only the motor currents but also the supply currents, thus resulting in bringing a significant reduction in size and weight to it. A specially-designed downscaled motor drive system rated at 400 V and 15 kW is used to confirm the validity of the proposed set of inductors.
Norm-based Behavior Modification in Reflex Agents - An Implementation in JAMDER 2.0

The agent-oriented development is becoming more frequent in the industry and academy. Currently, more works are turning to the growth of this area. Many frameworks that support the development of Normative Multi-agent Systems. However, few works deal the impact of norms on individual behavior of the agent. Like many others, Jamder 2.0 framework follows this aspect. This paper discusses the modification of the behavior of simple reactive agent based on impact caused by norms on the Jamder 2.0 platform. This work has been collaborating for the extention of this framework, reestablishing the dynamism, that was in its first version, and giving it support for changing the behavior of simple reactive agent. In addition, new features have been included in the framework. Among them, an agent that is able to monitor the actions of a set of agents, evaluating them according to the norms and applying appropriate sanctions to these agents, if available. For illustrate extension, the Vacuum cleaner world was implement using the extended Jamder 2.0.
Cooperative motion control of multiple robot arms or fingers

A new cooperative motion control scheme for multiple robot arms or fingers is proposed, which is derived from the analogy of a bilateral control for teleoperation of a system of master and slave robots. A group of some robot arms (or fingers) are moved in cooperation with the master ones. It is shown that a Lyapunov method gives rise to an assurence of the asymptotic.
Separate elements are required for ligand‐dependent and ‐independent internalization of metastatic potentiator CXCR4

The C‐terminal cytoplasmic domain of the metastatic potentiator CXCR4 regulates its function and spatiotemporal expression. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying constitutive internalization of CXCR4 compared to internalization mediated by its ligand, stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 alpha (SDF‐1α)/CXCL12. We established a system to analyze the role of the CXCR4 cytoplasmic tail in steady‐state internalization using the NP2 cell line, which lacks endogenous CXCR4 and SDF‐1α. Deleting more than six amino acids from the C‐terminus dramatically reduced constitutive internalization of CXCR4. Alanine substitution mutations revealed that three of those amino acids Ser344 Glu345 Ser346 are essential for efficient steady‐state internalization of CXCR4. Mutating Glu345 to Asp did not disrupt internalization, suggesting that the steady‐state internalization motif is S(E/D)S. When responses to SDF‐1α were tested, cells expressing CXCR4 mutants lacking the C‐terminal 10, 14, 22, 31 or 44 amino acids did not show downregulation of cell surface CXCR4 or the cell migration induced by SDF‐1α. Interestingly, however, we identified two mutants, one with E344A mutation and the other lacking the C‐terminal 17 amino acids, that were defective in constitutive internalization but competent in ligand‐promoted internalization and cell migration. These data demonstrate that ligand‐dependent and ‐independent internalization is genetically separable and that, between amino acids 336 and 342, there is a negative regulatory element for ligand‐promoted internalization. Potential involvement of this novel motif in cancer metastasis and other CXCR4‐associated disorders such as warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections and myelokathexis (WHIM) syndrome is discussed. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 373–379)
Evaluation of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays, an Immunofluorescent-Antibody Test, and Two Rapid Tests (Immunochromatographic-Dipstick and Gel Tests) for Serological Diagnosis of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Leishmania Infections in Dogs

ABSTRACT Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on soluble antigens derived from promastigote or amastigote-like stages of Leishmania infantum and on the recombinant rK39 antigen, each in combination with different conjugates [anti-immunoglobulin G1 [IgG1], anti-IgG2, anti-IgG(γ), and anti-IgG heavy plus light chains], were compared to an immunofluorescent-antibody test (IFAT) and two commercially available rapid test systems (DiaMed-Vet-IT Leish and ID-PaGIA canine leishmaniasis antibody test) for the detection of specific anti-Leishmania antibodies in symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs with proven L. infantum infections. ELISAs based on soluble promastigote and amastigote antigens had very high sensitivities in symptomatic (n = 30; 100%) and asymptomatic dogs (n = 17; 94.1 to 100%), except when combined with the anti-IgG1 conjugate (41.2 to 82.4%). Specificities were high for all combinations (n = 50; 96 to 100%). The rK39 ELISA detected fewer asymptomatic cases (sensitivities, 52.9 to 64.7%) but was highly specific (96 to 100%). The IFAT was 90% sensitive in symptomatic dogs but was significantly less sensitive in asymptomatic cases (29.4%). However, it had an excellent specificity (100%). Test performances of the rapid tests based on the rK39 antigen were comparable to the ELISAs based on the same antigen. ELISAs based on soluble promastigote or amastigote antigens seem to be most suited for the serological diagnosis of canine Leishmania infections in both symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs. IFAT and the rK39 ELISA lack sensitivity in asymptomatic cases but are highly specific. Rapid tests like the rK39 dipstick test or the ID-PaGIA are helpful for confirming clinically suspected cases because of their high specificities in symptomatic animals.
Hot wire chemical vapor deposited boron carbide thin film/c-silicon diode for neutron detection application

The Boron carbide (BC) is an interesting material due to its chemical and mechanical properties like extremely hard and wear-resistant material, high melting point, low density, good thermal and electrical properties, and great resistance to chemical agents. It has very high neutron absorption cross-section area and makes boron carbide a strong candidate for high technology industries, fast-breeders, light weight armours application[1–2].
Tuning into UHE Neutrinos in Antarctica - The ANITA Experiment

ice will produce a radio pulse by the means of the Askaryan effect. The large radio transparency of ice allows for such a pulse to be recorded by a cluster of balloon-borne antennas. The details of the ANITA instrument, now in a construction phase, and the science we hope to achieve is discussed. In order to prepare for the main mission, we have flown ANITA-lite during the 2003/04 austral season. ANITA-lite consisted of two quad-ridge horn antennas and a prototype RF (radio frequency) triggering and recording system. Here we present the results of an impulsive RF background survey of Antarctica, as well as proof-of-principle gain, tracking, and timing calibrations conducted by observing solar radio emissions and calibration radio-pulses. A preliminary UHE neutrino flux limit based on ANITA-lite data is also presented.
Global Crop Monitoring: A Satellite-Based Hierarchical Approach

Taking advantage of multiple new remote sensing data sources, especially from Chinese satellites, the CropWatch system has expanded the scope of its international analyses through the development of new indicators and an upgraded operational methodology. The approach adopts a hierarchical system covering four spatial levels of detail: global, regional, national (thirty-one key countries including China) and “sub-countries” (for the nine largest countries). The thirty-one countries encompass more that 80% of both production and exports of maize, rice, soybean and wheat. The methodology resorts to climatic and remote sensing indicators at different scales. The global patterns of crop environmental growing conditions are first analyzed with indicators for rainfall, temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) as well as potential biomass. At the regional scale, the indicators pay more attention to crops and include Vegetation Health Index (VHI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Cropped Arable Land Fraction (CALF) as well as Cropping Intensity (CI). Together, they characterize crop situation, farming intensity and stress. CropWatch carries out detailed crop condition analyses at the national scale with a comprehensive array of variables and indicators. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), cropped areas and crop conditions are integrated to derive food production estimates. For the nine largest countries, CropWatch zooms into the sub-national units to acquire detailed information on crop condition and production by including new indicators (e.g., Crop type proportion). Based on trend analysis, CropWatch also issues crop production supply outlooks, covering both long-term variations and short-term dynamic changes in key food exporters and importers. The hierarchical approach adopted by CropWatch is the basis of the analyses of climatic and crop conditions assessments published in the quarterly “CropWatch bulletin” which provides accurate and timely information essential to food producers, traders and consumers.
Subclassifications for mild cognitive impairment: prevalence and predictive validity

Background. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. Recently published results of the Current Concepts in MCI Conference suggested subclassifications for MCI (MCI-amnestic, MCI-multiple domains slightly impaired, MCI-single nonmemory domain) based on the recognized heterogeneity in the use of the term. These subclassifications have not been empirically validated to date. Method. A community sample of 1045 dementia-free individuals aged 75 years and over was examined by neuropsychological testing in a three-wave longitudinal study. The prevalences and the predictive validities for the subclassifications of MCI and their modifications (original criteria except for the report of subjective decline in cognitive function) were determined. Results. The prevalence was 1 to 15% depending on the subset employed. Subjects with a diagnosis of MCI progressed to dementia at a rate of 10 to 55% over 2·6 years, depending on the subset employed. MCI-amnestic achieved the highest positive predictive power (PPP). ROC curves of the subclassifications for MCI indicate that all but one subset for MCI failed to predict dementia (MCI-multiple domains slightly impaired-modified: AUC=0·585, P<0·01, 95% CI, 0·517–0·653). The use of modified criteria for MCI (original criteria except for the report of subjective decline in cognitive function) is associated with a higher diagnostic sensitivity but also with a reduction in diagnostic specificity and PPP. Conclusions. Modified criteria should be applied if a concept for MCI with a high sensitivity is required and the original criteria (including subjective cognitive complaint) if a concept with high specificity and high PPP is required.
An SNP in Exon 11 of Chicken 5′-AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Gamma 3 Subunit Gene was Associated with Meat Water Holding Capacity

ABSTRACT The 5′-Adenosine-monophosphate -activated protein kinase plays a key role in regulating cellular energy homeostasis, and it was reported that nucleotide variants in the genes coding the protein were associated with meat quality. In the present study, genetic variations in the exons of gamma non-catalytic subunit genes of the protein kinase were screened among 284 White Plymouth Rock chickens from 7 families with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and their meat quality traits including drip loss and cooked meat rate which reflect water holding capacity and serum biochemical indices were also measured, and the association between the genotypes and the traits was analyzed with a SAS GLM procedure. Our results showed that there were three G/A nucleotide variants including one in exon 6 of the gamma subunit 2 gene and two in exon 11 of the gamma subunit 3 gene, which resulted in amino acid substitutions V150I, V315 M, and A337 T, respectively. And locus V315 M was associated with water holding capacity significantly (P < 0.05). The studied polymorphic locus has the potential to be used as a genetic marker for poultry breeding work.
The color of smoke.

This question was raised in The Lancet the other day—on 10 October 1903 to be precise. The editorial lamented that the Public Health Act of London specified that smoke needed to be “black” before measures could be taken pointing out that there were many examples of brown, yellow, blue, or even white smoke being offensive. The attributes that determine the adverse effects of smoke (particulate air pollution) has been a question for at least a century—and is still unresolved. Over the years, we have busied ourselves with many different characteristics of airborne particulate matter (PM) in an attempt to find out which one matters most. After coal burning ceased to be a major source, we came to realize that the “blackness” of smoke could no longer be translated into the mass concentration of particles in the air we breathe. We have specified size ranges such as particles smaller than 10 or 2.5 m to define those that could enter the respiratory tract. We have become interested in particle numbers and surface areas, which might be more important for the biologically-relevant dose of harmful constituents carried on the particles. Above all, we have tried to analyze PM composition to find out which components determine the harmful effects of PM seen in many epidemiologic studies. At first glance, it seems rather straightforward to make progress in this regard: measure PM composition, then analyze which components have the strongest or least effect on some health outcome, and declare these components to be responsible for the health effect (or for the lack thereof). Alternatively, PM composition data could be subjected to some form of factor analysis to group them into classes that then can be attributed to specific sources. In the real world of epidemiology, things are not that simple, however. This issue of EPIDEMIOLOGY contains 2 papers that illustrate the complexities involved. One paper examines the association between exposure to PM constituents and birth weight. The other assesses airway and systemic inflammation in a panel of elderly subjects in relation to primary and secondary aerosols. Bell et al used PM filters from 5 monitoring sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts collected over a period of 3.5 years. Filter availability ranged from only 30% up to 92% of days. Filters were analyzed for 51 elements by x-ray fluorescence, and elemental carbon was estimated by light reflectance—essentially the method used in the old days to measure “black” smoke. Elements were attributed to 5 sources (traffic, oil combustion, road dust, salt, and regional sources)—with most constituents originating from more than 1 source. The study found minute (5–7 g) changes in birth weight associated with interquartile-range changes in exposure to zinc and elemental carbon (as markers of traffic), silicon and aluminum (as markers of road dust), and vanadium and nickel (as markers of oil combustion). The change with an interquartile difference of 3.6 g/m for PM2.5 was 3 g and not statistically significant. This suggests that something was gained by looking at particle composition, and not just particle mass concentration. The corre-
Associations between the Use of Antidepressants and Other Medications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a pharmacy claims database to identify associations between and the timing of antidepressant and other medication use by age and sex. Material/Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of the 70,519 members of the Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators (DMBA) insurance company who were continuously covered from the years 2001-2011. Results: During 2009-2011, 13.3% of males and 21.6% of females had at least one pharmacy claim for antidepressants. Those prescribed one of 25 different drug classifications were more likely than the general population to have used antidepressants the previous year. For all of the drug classifications, the use of antidepressants was significantly more common the same year and the year after the drug was first prescribed. The positive association between antidepressant use and other selected drug classifications generally depended on age rather than sex, with the positive association more pronounced in the youngest age group. Conclusion: The positive association between antidepressant use and other selected drug classifications suggests that depression may both lead to and result from many chronic diseases. This association is the strongest among younger individuals, so this age group proves a valuable target for public health interventions.
Decitabine versus 5-azacitidine for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome: adjusted indirect meta-analysis

We read with great interest the systematic review and meta-analysis by Gurion et al . assessing the efficacy of hypomethylating agents (HMA) versus supportive care for the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). [1][1] The meta-analysis included 4 randomized controlled trials (RCT
Ecosystem and understory water and energy exchange for a mature, naturally regenerated pine flatwoods forest in north Florida

Eddy covariance was used to measure energy fluxes from July 2000 - June 2002 above the tree canopy and above the understory in a mature, naturally regenerated slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) - longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) flatwoods forest. Understory latent energy (eE) and sensible heat (H) fluxes accounted for 45% and 55% of whole-ecosystem fluxes, respectively, with strong seasonal variation in the proportion of eE attributable to the understory. The partitioning of net radiation (Rnet) to eE and H also changed seasonally, with half-hourly mean ecosystem H in the winter peaking at 175 W? m-2, almost twice as large as eE . In contrast, half-hourly ecosystems eE and H remained almost equal throughout the day in July and August, with mean midday peaks of approximately 200 W? m-2. Maximum hourly evapotranspiration (ET) in the months of July and August was 0.32 and 0.29 mm? h-1 or 2000 and 2001, respectively. For a variety of environmental conditions, mean daily ET was approximately 2.7 mm in the summer and 1.3 mm in the winter. Annual ET for the first year was 832 mm, or 87% of annual precipitation (956 mm). Although leaf area index was higher in the second year, annual ET was only 676 mm, which is considerably lower than that of the previous year, but it still accounted for approximately the same proportion (84%) of the much lower annual precipitation (811 mm). Canopy conductance declined as soils dried, changing patterns of partitioning of Rnet to eE.