Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of ternary element addition on the corrosion behaviour of NiTi shape memory alloys

The goal of this study is to compare the corrosion behaviour of selected ternary nickel titanium (NiTi)‐based alloys (Ni45Ti50Cu5, Ni47Ti50Fe3 and Ni39Ti50Pd11) with a binary, pseudoelastic Ni50.7Ti49. 3 alloy. We examine the influence of the ternary elements on the corrosion behaviour using standard electrochemical techniques. All measurements were done in a physiological solution (0.9% NaCl) simulating a body temperature of 37 ± 1 °C. The influence of Cu and Pd addition on the surface oxide film was characterised by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed that, the localised corrosion resistance of these ternary alloys is lower than the binary NiTi alloy. By comparing the different NiTi‐based alloys, the following relation has been proposed for their localised corrosion resistances: NiTiCu < NiTiFe < NiTiPd < NiTi. Depth profiling by XPS showed that the surface oxide film on all the investigated NiTi‐based alloys is mainly of TiO2, however, the NiTiPd and NiTiCu alloys showed metallic ternary element distributed within TiO2 layer.
Photochemical stroke model: flunarizine prevents sensorimotor deficits after neocortical infarcts in rats.

We produced unilateral photochemical infarcts in the hindlimb sensorimotor neocortex of 186 rats by intravenous injection of the fluorescein derivative rose bengal and focal illumination of the intact skull surface. Infarcted rats showed specific, long-lasting deficits in tactile and proprioceptive placing reactions of the contralateral limbs, mostly the hindlimb. Placing deficits were most prominent during transition to immobility and/or when independent limb movements were required. Administration of flunarizine, a Class IV calcium antagonist, 30 minutes after infarction resulted in marked sparing of sensorimotor function in 30 rats. In contrast to 20 vehicle-treated rats, which remained deficient for at least 21 days, 15 (75%) of the rats treated with 1.25 mg/kg i.v. flunarizine showed normal placing on Day 1 after infarction, whereas the remaining five (25%) recovered within 5 days. Oral treatment of 10 rats with 40 mg/kg flunarizine was also effective. Neocortical infarct volume and thalamic gliosis, assessed 21 days after infarction, did not differ between 30 flunarizine- and 30 vehicle-treated rats. However, when 4-hour-old infarcts were measured in 16 rats, posttreatment with intravenous flunarizine reduced infarct size by 31%. In combination with appropriate behavioral analyses, photochemical thrombosis may constitute a relevant stroke model, in which flunarizine preserved behavioral function during a critical period, corresponding to the spread of ischemic damage.
Collagen VI regulates peripheral nerve myelination and function

Collagen VI is an extracellular matrix protein with broad distribution in several tissues. Although Col6a1 is expressed by Schwann cells, the role of collagen VI in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is yet unknown. Here we show that Schwann cells, but not axons, contribute to collagen VI deposition in peripheral nerves. By using Col6a1‐null mice, in which collagen VI deposition is compromised, we demonstrate that lack of collagen VI leads to increased myelin thickness (P<0.001) along with 60–130% upregulation in myelin‐associated proteins and disorganized C fibers in the PNS. The hypermyelination of PNS in Col6a1–/–mice is supported by alterations of signaling pathways involved in myelination, including increase of P‐FAK, P‐AKT, P‐ERK1, P‐ERK2, and P‐p38 (4.15, 1.67, 2.47, 3.34, and 2.60‐fold, respectively) and reduction of vimentin (0.49‐fold), P‐JNK (0.74‐fold), and P‐c‐Jun (0.50‐fold). Pathologically, Col6a1–/– mice display an impairment of nerve conduction velocity and motor coordination (P<0.05), as well as a delayed response to acute pain stimuli (P<0.001), indicating that lack of collagen VI causes functional defects of peripheral nerves. Altogether, these results indicate that collagen VI is a critical component of PNS contributing to the structural integrity and proper function of peripheral nerves. —Chen, P., Cescon, M. , Megighian, A. , Bonaldo, P. Collagen VI regulates peripheral nerve myelination and function. FASEB J. 28, 1145–1156 (2014). www.fasebj. org
GMD@CSB.DB: the Golm Metabolome Database

UNLABELLED Metabolomics, in particular gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabolite profiling of biological extracts, is rapidly becoming one of the cornerstones of functional genomics and systems biology. Metabolite profiling has profound applications in discovering the mode of action of drugs or herbicides, and in unravelling the effect of altered gene expression on metabolism and organism performance in biotechnological applications. As such the technology needs to be available to many laboratories. For this, an open exchange of information is required, like that already achieved for transcript and protein data. One of the key-steps in metabolite profiling is the unambiguous identification of metabolites in highly complex metabolite preparations from biological samples. Collections of mass spectra, which comprise frequently observed metabolites of either known or unknown exact chemical structure, represent the most effective means to pool the identification efforts currently performed in many laboratories around the world. Here we present GMD, The Golm Metabolome Database, an open access metabolome database, which should enable these processes. GMD provides public access to custom mass spectral libraries, metabolite profiling experiments as well as additional information and tools, e.g. with regard to methods, spectral information or compounds. The main goal will be the representation of an exchange platform for experimental research activities and bioinformatics to develop and improve metabolomics by multidisciplinary cooperation. AVAILABILITY http://csbdb.mpimp-golm.mpg. de/gmd.html CONTACT Steinhauser@mpimp-golm.mpg. de SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION http://csbdb.mpimp-golm.mpg. de/
Unrecognized Myocardial Infarction in Relation to Risk of Dementia and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Background and Purpose— Men, but not women, with unrecognized myocardial infarction (MI) have an increased risk of cardiac events and stroke compared with those without MI or with recognized MI. We investigated whether unrecognized MI is also a risk factor for dementia and cerebral small vessel disease (white matter lesions and brain infarction) in 2 population-based cohort studies. Methods— In the Rotterdam Study, 6347 participants were classified at baseline (1990 to 1993) into those with recognized MI (subdivided into Q-wave and non-Q-wave MI), with unrecognized MI, and without MI based on electrocardiography and interview and were followed for incident dementia (n=613) until January 1, 2005. In the Rotterdam Scan Study, 436 nondemented persons were similarly classified based on electrocardiography and interview and underwent brain MRI for the assessment of white matter lesions and brain infarction. Results— In men, unrecognized MI was associated with an increased risk of dementia (compared with men without MI hazard ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.37 to 3.35) and with more white matter lesions and more often brain infarction on MRI. In women, no associations were found with unrecognized MI. Recognized MI was not associated with the risk of dementia in either sex. Men, but not women, with recognized MI had more often any brain infarction or asymptomatic brain infarction, especially if they had Q-wave MI. No consistent associations were found between recognized Q-wave or non-Q-wave MI and severity of white matter lesions. Additional adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors did not change the results. Conclusions— Men with unrecognized MI have an increased risk of dementia and more cerebral small vessel disease.
Vasopressin and oxytocin reverse adenosine‐induced pituicyte stellation via calcium‐dependent activation of Cdc42

In view of the potential impact of pituicyte morphology on neurohypophysial hormone secretion, we have studied the mechanisms involved in the shape changes induced by vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) in cultured rat pituicytes. Pituicytes induced to become stellate in the presence of 10 µm adenosine revert to their nonstellate shape ∼20 min after application of AVP or OXT. The IC50 for this effect is 0.1 nm for AVP and 36 nm for OXT. Both agonists induce Ca2+ signals in pituicytes, comprised of a transient peak and a plateau phase that is dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+. The EC50 values of AVP for the transient and sustained responses are 4.5 and 0.1 nm, respectively; corresponding values for OXT are 180 and 107 nm. We determined pharmacologically that these hormone‐induced Ca2+ signals are mediated by the V1a subtype of vasopressin receptors, similar to what we previously observed for hormone‐induced reversal of stellation. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ or chelation of intracellular Ca2+ partially prevented AVP from reversing stellation, suggesting a role for Ca2+ in this event. We previously established that adenosine‐induced stellation of pituicytes occurs via RhoA inhibition. However, pharmacological experiments and pull‐down assays presented here show that AVP‐induced reversal of stellation does not involve RhoA activation. Rather, AVP was found to induce a time‐dependent activation of Cdc42, another small GTPase involved in cytoskeletal plasticity. Activation of Cdc42 by AVP is sensitive to intra‐ and extracellular Ca2+ depletion, similar to AVP‐induced reversal of stellation. Furthermore, AVP‐induced reversal of stellation is blocked by expression of an NWASP fragment known to inhibit endogenous Cdc42.
A micromorphological study of the dissolution of silver-gold alloys in nitric acid

Abstract Microscopic observations of the surface structure and composition of thin films of silver-gold alloys are used to deduce the processes involved in the dissolution of these alloys in nitric acid solutions. The micromorphology consists of an island-and-channel structure whose formation depends in detail on the initial overall composition of the alloy. The micromorphology can be modified by annealing for short times at elevated temperature, by storage for long periods at room temperature, or by increasing the strength of the acid during corrosion, giving very similar results. These observations can be explained in terms of a model in which corrosion proceeds by selective dissolution of the less noble component, thereby creating a disordered surface layer which subsequently reorders by surface diffusion.
Clique-Width and Directed Width Measures for Answer-Set Programming

Disjunctive Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a powerful declarative programming paradigm whose main decision problems are located on the second level of the polynomial hierarchy. Identifying tractable fragments and developing efficient algorithms for such fragments are thus important objectives in order to complement the sophisticated ASP systems available to date. Hard problems can become tractable if some problem parameter is bounded by a fixed constant; such problems are then called fixed-parameter tractable (FPT). While several FPT results for ASP exist, parameters that relate to directed or signed graphs representing the program at hand have been neglected so far. In this paper, we first give some negative observations showing that directed width measures on the dependency graph of a program do not lead to FPT results. We then consider the graph parameter of signed clique-width and present a novel dynamic programming algorithm that is FPT w.r. t. this parameter. Clique-width is more general than the well-known treewidth, and, to the best of our knowledge, ours is the first FPT algorithm for bounded clique-width for reasoning problems beyond SAT.
The Internal State Scale: replication of its discriminating abilities in a multisite, public sector sample.

OBJECTIVE The Internal State Scale (ISS) is a self-report instrument that has been validated for discriminating mood states in patients with bipolar disorder. This study a) extends investigation to a multisite public sector sample and b) tests a revised scoring algorithm that formally identifies patients in mixed states. METHODS Eighty-six patients with bipolar disorder from four Veterans Affairs medical centers were assessed in a cross-sectional design. Physician-conducted semi-structured interviews used DSM-IV criteria to identify subjects as meeting criteria for euthymia, mania or hypomania, depression, or mixed state (mania or hypomania plus depression). A revised ISS scoring algorithm independently assigned mood state. Mean subscale scores were analyzed across groups. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to determine optimal algorithm structure. RESULTS Analysis of mean scores for the ISS subscales replicated original results for Activation, Well-Being, and Perceived Conflict, but indicated differences from the original results for the Depression Index. The ROC curve analysis identified optimal cut-off scores for the revised algorithm. The overall kappa score indicated moderate agreement between ISS and physician ratings of mood state, including mixed states. LIMITATIONS The study used a sample consisting primarily of male veterans. Mood state was assigned by experts using expert clinician diagnosis, not structured interviews. CONCLUSION The performance of the ISS in this multisite, public sector sample was similar to the performance in the initial research clinic sample. This finding confirms the validity of the ISS as a discriminator of mood states in bipolar disorder. The development of a revised scoring algorithm makes feasible formal identification of mixed episodes with the ISS.
Prototyping VDM specifications with KIDS

The authors show how VDM specifications can be prototyped as REFINE programs. The translation process takes advantage of the facilities of the KIDS environment (D.R. Smith, 1990). A new VDM mode has been added to the environment to support transformations of the specifications. The VDM specifications are then automatically translated into proper KIDS specifications. These are finally transformed into REFINE programs in the program development mode of KIDS. The development of the prototype follows a very systematic process, so that it does not require much invention from the developer. <<ETX>>
Error Exponents for Broadcast Channels With Degraded Message Sets

We consider a broadcast channel with a degraded message set, in which a single transmitter sends a common message to two receivers and a private message to one of the receivers only. The main goal of this work is to find new lower bounds to the error exponents of the strong user, the one that should decode both messages, and of the weak user, that should decode only the common message. Unlike previous works, where suboptimal decoders were used, the exponents we derive in this work pertain to optimal decoding and depend on both rates. We take two different approaches. The first approach is based, in part, on variations of Gallager-type bounding techniques that were presented in a much earlier work on error exponents for erasure/list decoding. The resulting lower bounds are quite simple to understand and to compute. The second approach is based on a technique that is rooted in statistical physics, and it is exponentially tight from the initial step and onward. This technique is based on analyzing the statistics of certain enumerators. Numerical results show that the bounds obtained by this technique are tighter than those obtained by the first approach and previous results. The derivation, however, is more complex than the first approach and the retrieved exponents are harder to compute.
Selection and sex‐biased dispersal in a coastal shark: the influence of philopatry on adaptive variation

Sex‐biased dispersal is expected to homogenize nuclear genetic variation relative to variation in genetic material inherited through the philopatric sex. When site fidelity occurs across a heterogeneous environment, local selective regimes may alter this pattern. We assessed spatial patterns of variation in nuclear‐encoded, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and sequences of the mitochondrial control region in bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo), a species thought to exhibit female philopatry, collected from summer habitats used for gestation. Geographic patterns of mtDNA haplotypes and putatively neutral SNPs confirmed female philopatry and male‐mediated gene flow along the northeastern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. A total of 30 outlier SNP loci were identified; alleles at over half of these loci exhibited signatures of latitude‐associated selection. Our results indicate that in species with sex‐biased dispersal, philopatry can facilitate sorting of locally adaptive variation, with the dispersing sex facilitating movement of potentially adaptive variation among locations and environments.
ATP activates non‐selective cation channels and calcium release in inner hair cells of the guinea‐pig cochlea.

1. ATP‐evoked currents and Ca2+ signals were simultaneously recorded in isolated inner hair cells (IHC) of guinea‐pig cochlea by combining conventional whole‐cell or perforated patch clamp recording with indo‐1 dual emission microfluorometry. 2. In most IHCs, voltage clamped near resting membrane potential (‐40 mV), extracellular ATP evoked a rapid inward current (time constant, 150 ms). This current was concomitant with a slow rise in [Ca2+]i (time constant, 5 s). The ATP‐evoked inward currents could be repeated several times with only a small run‐down in amplitude (< 10%), while the ATP‐evoked Ca2+ responses showed a rapid run‐down (> 80% at the third ATP application). 3. The current‐voltage relationship of ATP‐evoked currents showed a reversal potential at ‐11 +/‐ 6 mV (n = 8), suggesting that ATP essentially activated a non‐specific cationic conductance. On the contrary, the amplitude of the ATP‐evoked Ca2+ responses did not show significant dependence on holding membrane potential. 4. The Ca2+ response showed an apparent Kd for ATP (EC50, 1.8 +/‐ 0.3 microM; Hill coefficient, 1.0 +/‐ 0.1) eightfold smaller than for the evoked currents (EC50, 13.7 +/‐ 3.0 microM; Hill coefficient, 2.0 +/‐ 0.7). 5. Perfusion with high extracellular Ca2+ solution (10 mM CaCl2) reduced the amplitude of the ATP‐evoked currents by 90%, while perfusion with zero Ca2+ solution increased it by more than 100%. However, similar variations in external Ca2+ concentration did not change the amplitude of the ATP‐evoked Ca2+ responses. Furthermore, intracellular heparin (1 mg mL‐1), a potent inhibitor of InsP3 receptors, did not significantly change the amplitude of ATP‐evoked currents but reduced the ATP‐evoked Ca2+ response, suggesting again that the latter is related to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. 6. The results suggested that two types of P2‐purinergic receptor are expressed in IHCs: ATP‐gated ion channels and ATP‐activated metabotropic receptors. At submicromolar ATP concentrations, the metabotropic receptors raising intracellular [Ca2+] would hyperpolarize IHCs via Ca(2+)‐sensitive K+ channels. The ATP‐gated ion channels activated at higher ATP concentrations would mainly have a depolarizing effect on IHCs.
Anatomy of a Mudular Multiple Query Optimizer

We critically evaluate the current state of research in multiple query opGrnization, synthesize the requirements for a modular opCrnizer, and propose an architecture. Our objective is to facilitate future research by providing modular subproblems and a good general-purpose data structure. In rhe context of this archiuzcture. we provide an improved subsumption algorithm. and discuss migration paths from single-query to multiple-query oplimizers. The architecture has three key ingredients. First. each type of work is performed at an appropriate level of abstraction. Segond, a uniform and very compact representation stores all candidate strategies. Finally, search is handled as a discrete optimization problem separable horn the query processing tasks. 1. Problem Definition and Objectives A multiple query optimizer (h4QO) takes several queries as input and seeks to generate a good multi-strategy, an executable operator gaph that simultaneously computes answers to all the queries. The idea is to save by evaluating common subexpressions only once. The commonalities to be exploited include identical selections and joins, predicates that subsume other predicates, and also costly physical operators such as relation scans and SOULS. The multiple query optimization problem is to find a multi-strategy that minimizes the total cost (with overlap exploited). Figure 1 . l shows a multi-strategy generated exploiting commonalities among queries Ql-Q3 at both the logical and physical level. To be really satisfactory, a multi-query optimization algorithm must offer solution quality, ejjiciency, and ease of Permission to copy without fee all a part of this mataial is granted provided that the copies are nut made a diitributed for direct commercial advantage, the VIDB copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Very Large Da Blse Endowment. To copy otherwise. urturepublim identify many kinds of commonalities (e.g., by predicate splitting, sharing relation scans); and search effectively to choose a good combination of l-strategies. Efficiency requires that the optimization avoid a combinatorial explosion of possibilities, and that within those it considers, redundant work on common subexpressions be minimized. ‘Finally, ease of implementation is crucial an algorithm will be practically useful only if it is conceptually simple, easy to attach to an optimizer, and requires relatively little additional soft-
Geographical Heterogeneity between Far Eastern and Western Countries in Prevalence of the Virulence Plasmid, the SuperantigenYersinia pseudotuberculosis-Derived Mitogen, and the High-Pathogenicity Island among Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Strains

ABSTRACT Yersinia pseudotuberculosis produces novel superantigenic toxins designated YPMa (Y. pseudotuberculosis-derived mitogen), YPMb, and YPMc and has a pathogenicity island termed HPI (high-pathogenicity island) and R-HPI (the right-hand part of the HPI with truncation in its left-hand part) on the chromosome. Analysis of the distribution of these virulence factors allowed for differentiation of species Y. pseudotuberculosis into six subgroups, thus reflecting the geographical spread of two main clones: the YPMa+HPI− Far Eastern systemic pathogenic type belonging to serotypes O1b, -2a, -2b, -2c, -3, -4a, -4b, -5a, -5b, -6, -10, and UT (untypeable) and the YPMs− HPI+European gastroenteric pathogenic type belonging to serotypes O1a and -1b. The YPMa+ HPI+ pathogenic type belonging to serotypes O1b, -3, -5a, -5b, and UT and the YPMb+HPI− nonpathogenic type belonging to non-melibiose-fermenting serotypes O1b, -5a, -5b, -6, -7, -9, -10, -11, and -12 were prevalent in the Far East. The YPMc+R-HPI+ European low-pathogenicity type belonging to non-melibiose-fermenting serotype O3 and the YPMs−HPI− pathogenic type belonging to 15 serotypes were found to be prevalent all over the world. This new information is useful for a better understanding of the evolution and spread of Y. pseudotuberculosis.