Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cataclysmic Variables from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. The First Results

The commissioning year of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has demonstrated that many cataclysmic variables (CVs) have been missed in previous surveys with brighter limits. We report the identification of 22 CVs, of which 19 are new discoveries and three are known systems (SW UMa, BH Lyn, and OU Vir). A compendium of positions, colors, and characteristics of these systems obtained from the SDSS photometry and spectroscopy is presented, along with data obtained during follow-up studies with the Apache Point Observatory and Manastash Ridge Observatory telescopes. We have determined orbital periods for three of the new systems, two show dwarf nova outbursts, and the third is a likely magnetic system with eclipses of its region of line emission. Based on these results, we expect the completed survey to locate at least 400 new CVs. Most of these will be faint systems with low accretion rates that will provide new constraints on binary evolution models.
Stability of nonlinear ion sound waves and solitons in plasmas

Large amplitude ion acoustic waves and solitons in two component plasmas are investigated for stability. The soliton solutions are found to be stable, while the nonlinear waves are always unstable, though for a significant range of parameters they are only unstable to fully three-dimensional perturbations. The results in one dimension are compared with those obtained from the K. –de V. equation, which gives stability for the nonlinear waves and solitons. Agreement is surprisingly good for Mach numbers less than about 1.5. A three-dimensional generalization of the K. –de V. equation is considered but this leads to stability for all nonlinear solutions and hence is not a good model for nonlinear waves. It is, however, reasonable in the soliton limit.
Coupled-mode equations for dielectric waveguides based on projection and partition modal amplitudes

There are two objectives in this paper. First, it is pointed out that the coupled-mode theory for parallel dielectric waveguides can have two different formulations, one based on the projection modal amplitudes and the other based on the partition modal amplitudes. The theory is then derived by considering the projection modal amplitudes of the total coupled-system field and including the integrated overlap of the individual waveguide modes. Second, the existing two formulations of the conventional coupled-mode theory are shown to be consistent with each other, following naturally from the discussions in the first part. Coupled-mode equations including the mode overlap integrals are written in terms of the projection modal amplitudes. They are appropriate to power calculations and are equivalent to those equations recently derived by other authors. It is emphasized that using equivalent initial conditions is essential for the different formulations to give identical predictions of power coupling.
InGaN-GaN based light-emitting diodes over (111) spinel substrates

In this letter we report the deposition of high quality GaN‐InGaN double‐heterostructure pn junctions over (111) spinel substrates using low‐pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. A ten‐period undoped GaN‐In0.1Ga0. 9N multiple quantum well was used for the active region. Mesa‐type light‐emitting diode (LED) structures were fabricated which under forward bias exhibited only strong band‐edge electroluminescence. The spectral emission was centered at 385 nm and had a linewidth of 15 nm. This is similar to what is measured for similar LED structures over sapphire substrates.
Factors affecting stock liquidity: corporate governance, ADRs and economic crisis

Listing for trading in one of the segments of the BM&FBovespa requiring enhanced corporate governance can be seen as a way to align the interests of agents and principals. One of the supposed benefits of adhesion to these segments is increased stock liquidity. This study analyzes a sample of firms listed on the BM&FBovespa through panel data with Huber-White correction. The hypotheses are a positive relation between listing in one of these segments and liquidity, and that the higher the governance level, the greater the effect on liquidity. The results indicate that in the period before the 2008 crisis, the companies as a whole listed in the special governance segments had more liquid shares. But this result extends only to firms listed in the Level 1 and Novo Mercado segments when the three segments are analyzed individually. The hypotheses could not be confirmed in the entire period analyzed, from 2000 to 2009, possibly because of the effects of the crisis. For companies traded in the Level 2 segment, higher liquidity was not observed in the periods studied. Additionally, companies with ADRs showed higher liquidity in relation to those listed in the enhanced governance segments, independent of the effects of the crisis
Effect of decoration route on the nanomechanical, adhesive, and force response of nanocelluloses—An in situ force spectroscopy study

Although cellulose derivatives are widely applied in high-tech materials, the relation between their force responses and their surface chemical properties in a biological environment as a function of pH is unknown. Here, interaction forces of surface modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), lignin residual cellulose nanocrystals (LCNCs), and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibres (TCNFs) with OSO3−, COO− and lignin chemical groups were measured using in situ peak force quantitative nanomechanical mapping and force spectroscopy in salt solution at two pH values. We found that the forces acting between the tip and CNC or LCNC are steric dominated showing long range and slow decay as a result of their low surface charge density. High Mw lignin contributed to the increased repulsion range for LCNCs compared to CNCs. The repulsion measured for TCNFs at the very short range was electrostatic force dominating showing a steep decay attributed to its high surface charge density. In the case of TCNFs, electrostatic double layer force was also evidenced by the attraction measured at secondary minima. In all the three cases the electro steric interactions are pH dependent. Dissipation maps verified that the force behavior for each material was related to structural conformation restriction of the groups at compression. The slow decayed repulsion of CNCs or LCNCs is related to a weak restriction of conformational change due to small surface groups or high molecular weight bound polymers forming flat layers, whereas the steep repulsion of TCNFs is attributed to a strong conformation restriction of carboxylic groups occurred by forming extended structure. Our results suggest that the force responses of the materials were dominated by surface charges and structural differences. TCNFs showed superior nanomechanical and repulsion properties over CNCs or LCNCs at neutral pH.
Assessment of Adiponectin and Sperm Function Parameters in Obese and Non-Obese: A Comprehensive Study

Objective The role of adiponectin in sperm function is inconclusive and there is a paucity of evidence. Obesity shows an ambiguous influence on sperm motility, and male subfertility. The aim of this study was to compare the role of adiponectin and sperm functional parameters among obese and non-obese men. Materials and Methods In this comprehensive study, 64 male patients were included, and were classified as non-obese [body mass index (BMI)< 24.9 kg/m2, n=32] and obese (BMI >25 kg/m2, n=32) groups. Sperm analysis, was conducted using World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 standards. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used for the analysis of adiponectin gene expression and protein levels, respectively. Sperm viability was assessed using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT test), Acridine orange (AO) test was utilized to detect DNA denaturation, and sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) technique was used to investigate the fragmentation of DNA. Results In obese men, adiponectin gene expression (P<0.0001) and protein levels (P<0.001) were significantly lower compared to the non-obese group. Additionally, sperm motility, was significantly lower in the obese group. The rapid progressive (RP) motility was less in obese men in comparison to the non-obese group (P<0.001). Sperm count and morphology were not significantly different in the two groups. DNA denaturation and DNA fragmentation were significantly more frequent in the obese group than in non-obese men (P<0.05) and (P<0.01), respectively. The obese men showed significantly lower sperm viability compared to the non-obese group (P<0.05). Conclusion This study showed no significant correlation between the evaluated variables (sperm parameter, sperm viability, DNA fragmentation and integrity), and obesity in men. Based on these results, adiponectin may potentially play positive role in sperm function for acquiring fertility.
Electroencephalographic characteristics of children and adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Abstract Introduction: The pathophysiology of pediatric musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is unclear, contributing to persistent challenges to its management. Objectives: This study hypothesizes that children and adolescents with chronic MSK pain (CPs) will show differences in electroencephalography (EEG) features at rest and during thermal pain modalities when compared with age-matched controls. Methods: One hundred forty-two CP patients and 45 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent a standardized thermal tonic heat and cold stimulations, while a 21-electrode headset collected EEG data. Cohorts were compared with respect to their EEG features of spectral power, peak frequency, permutation entropy, weight phase-lag index, directed phase-lag index, and node degree at 4 frequency bands, namely, delta (1–4 Hz), theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), and beta (13–30 Hz), at rest and during the thermal conditions. Results: At rest, CPs showed increased global delta (P = 0.0493) and beta (P = 0.0002) power in comparison with HCs. These findings provide further impetus for the investigation and prevention of long-lasting developmental sequalae of early life chronic pain processes. Although no cohort differences in pain intensity scores were found during the thermal pain modalities, CPs and HCs showed significant difference in changes in EEG spectral power, peak frequency, permutation entropy, and network functional connectivity at specific frequency bands (P < 0.05) during the tonic heat and cold stimulations. Conclusion: This suggests that EEG can characterize subtle differences in heat and cold pain sensitivity in CPs. The complementation of EEG and evoked pain in the clinical assessment of pediatric chronic MSK pain can better detect underlying pain mechanisms and changes in pain sensitivity.
Glutamine mitigates murine burn sepsis by supporting macrophage M2 polarization through repressing the SIRT5-mediated desuccinylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase

Abstract Background Alternative (M2)-activated macrophages drive the anti-inflammatory response against sepsis, a leading cause of death in patients suffering from burn injury. Macrophage M2 polarization is intrinsically linked with dominant oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Glutamine serves as a major anaplerotic source to fuel OXPHOS, but it remains unknown whether glutamine can modulate metabolic checkpoints in OXPHOS that favour M2 polarization. The study aims to explore whether glutamine essentially supports M2 polarization in IL-4-stimulated murine macrophages by sustaining the activity of PDH and whether glutamine augments macrophage M2 polarization and thus alleviates inflammation and organ injury in a murine burn sepsis model. Methods To understand how glutamine promotes M2 activation in interleukin (IL-4)-treated murine macrophages, we detected glutamine-dependent M2 polarization and its relationship with the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex by RT-PCR, flow cytometry and western blot. To explore how glutamine modulates PDH activity and thus supports M2 polarization, we compared the expression, phosphorylation and succinylation status of PDHA1 and then examined sirtuin SIRT5-dependent desuccinylation of PDHA1 and the effects of SIRT5 overexpression on M2 polarization by RT-PCR, flow cytometry and western blot. To determine whether glutamine or its metabolites affect M2 polarization, macrophages were cocultured with metabolic inhibitors, and then SIRT5 expression and M2 phenotype markers were examined by RT-PCR, flow cytometry and western blot. Finally, to confirm the in vivo effect of glutamine, we established a burn sepsis model by injecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa into burn wounds and observing whether glutamine alleviated proinflammatory injuries by RT-PCR, flow cytometry, western blot, immunofluorescent staining, hematoxylin-eosin staining and enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay. Results We showed that consumption of glutamine supported M2 activation in IL-4-treated murine macrophages by upregulating the activity of PDH. Mechanistically, glutamine did not affect the expression or alter the phosphorylation status of PDHA1 but instead downregulated the expression of SIRT5 and repressed SIRT5-dependent desuccinylation on PDHA1, which in turn recovered PDH activity and supported M2 polarization. This effect was implemented by its secondary metabolite α-ketoglutarate (αKG) rather than glutamine itself. Finally, we demonstrated that glutamine promoted macrophage M2 polarization in a murine burn sepsis model, thereby repressing excessive inflammation and alleviating organ injury in model mice. Conclusions Glutamine mitigates murine burn sepsis by essentially supporting macrophage M2 polarization, with a mechanism involving the repression of the SIRT5-mediated desuccinylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase that replenishes OXPHOS and sustains M2 macrophages.
In vivo labeling of endogenous genomic loci in C. elegans using CRISPR/dCas9

Visualization of genomic loci with open chromatin state has been reported in mammalian tissue culture cells using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that utilizes an EGFP-tagged endonuclease-deficient Cas9 protein (dCas9::EGFP) (Chen et al. 2013). Here, we adapted this approach for use in Caenorhabditis elegans . We generated a C. elegans strain that expresses the dCas9 protein fused to two nuclear-localized EGFP molecules (dCas9::NLS::2xEGFP::NLS) in an inducible manner. Using this strain, we report the visualization in live C. elegans embryos of two endogenous repetitive loci, rrn-4 and rrn-1 , from which 5S and 18S ribosomal RNAs are constitutively generated.
Discovering recent selection forces shaping the evolution of dengue viruses based on polymorphism data across geographic scales

Abstract Incomplete selection makes it challenging to infer selection on genes at short time scales, especially for microorganisms, due to stronger linkage between loci. However, in many cases, the selective force changes with environment, time, or other factors, and it is of great interest to understand selective forces at this level to answer relevant biological questions. We developed a new method that uses the change in dN/dS, instead of the absolute value of dN/dS, to infer the dominating selective force based on sequence data across geographical scales. If a gene was under positive selection, dN/dS was expected to increase through time, whereas if a gene was under negative selection, dN/dS was expected to decrease through time. Assuming that the migration rate decreased and the divergence time between samples increased from between-continent, within-continent different-country, to within-country level, dN/dS of a gene dominated by positive selection was expected to increase with increasing geographical scales, and the opposite trend was expected in the case of negative selection. Motivated by the McDonald–Kreitman (MK) test, we developed a pairwise MK test to assess the statistical significance of detected trends in dN/dS. Application of the method to a global sample of dengue virus genomes identified multiple significant signatures of selection in both the structural and non-structural proteins. Because this method does not require allele frequency estimates and uses synonymous mutations for comparison, it is less prone to sampling error, providing a way to infer selection forces within species using publicly available genomic data from locations over broad geographical scales.
Mutant Allele of CD44 (rs8193C>T) and Pum2 Regulatory Element as A Prognosis Factor of Prostate Neoplasms: A Case-Control and In Silico Studies

Objective Expression of CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6) as a homing-associated cell adhesion molecule (HCAM), has proved to change most cancer cells. Aim of the study is the effect of mutant allele of CD44 (rs8193C>T) and Pum2 regulatory element as a prognosis factor of prostate neoplasms: a case-control and in silico studies in the Mazandaran province-Iran. Materials and Methods In a case-control study, CD44-rs8193C>T genotyping of the 420 prostate neoplasms (210 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients and 210 prostate cancer patients) and 150 healthy samples are performed by the touchdown polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP) method. The T mutant allele effects on the mRNA structure and cell pathways were also investigated in silico methods. Results Our results showed that the increase of T mutant allele frequency was significantly associated with BPH compared with prostate cancer. Furthermore, results showed TT genotype was significantly associated with BPH [odds ratio (OR)=0.572 and P=0.015], and also influenced the CD44v6 transcript secondary structure, miRNA binding, and regulatory element-binding site for Pum2 protein. Attachment of Pum2 to standard CD44 transcript may lead to transcript isoform-switching and shift-expression to a variety of CD44 isoforms, which can trigger some of the cell signaling pathways, such as Nanog-Stat, PKC-Nanog, and PKC-Twist. Conclusion Based on this, the presence of the T mutant allele of CD44 (rs8193C>T) in the populations may create a regulatory element-binding site for Pum2. So, it could be known as a prognosis factor and prediction of prostate neoplasms. However, more comprehensive studies in different populations (with various ethnicities and large population sizes), and also CD44v6 gene expression studies in protein and transcript levels are required to confirm our data.
A gain-of-function mutation in head involution defective , Wrinkled, causes precocious cell death of wing epidermal cells in Drosophila

In Drosophila , wing epidermal cells undergo programmed cell death as the last step of metamorphosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of hid , particularly the Wrinkled mutation ( hid W ), an allele of hid , in the cell death. The wing epithelial cell death is suppressed by loss-of-function mutation of hid , indicating that the death is governed by a cascade involving hid . Examination of the cell death in hid W showed that precocious death started at G stage, 3 h before eclosion. Thus, mutated-HID in the hid W mutant was activated at G stage, supporting the gain-of-function effect of hid W mutation.
Why are patients with acute traumatic brain injury not routinely assessed or treated for vestibular dysfunction in the UK? A qualitative study

Objectives Vestibular dysfunction is common in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (aTBI). Persisting vestibular symptoms (ie, dizziness and imbalance) are linked to poor physical, psychological and socioeconomic outcomes. However, routine management of vestibular dysfunction in aTBI is not always standard practice. We aimed to identify and explore any healthcare professional barriers or facilitators to managing vestibular dysfunction in aTBI. Design A qualitative approach was used. Data were collected using face to face, semi-structured interviews and analysed using the Framework approach. Setting Two major trauma centres in London, UK. Participants 28 healthcare professionals participated: 11 occupational therapists, 8 physiotherapists and 9 surgical/trauma doctors. Results Vestibular assessment and treatment were not routinely undertaken by trauma ward staff. Uncertainty regarding responsibility for vestibular management on the trauma ward was perceived to lead to gaps in patient care. Interestingly, the term dizziness was sometimes perceived as an ‘invisible’ and vague phenomenon, leading to difficulties identifying or ‘proving’ dizziness and a tendency for making non-specific diagnoses. Barriers to routine assessment and treatment included limited knowledge and skills, a lack of local or national guidelines, insufficient training and concerns regarding the practical aspects of managing vestibular dysfunction. Of current trauma ward staff, therapists were identified as appropriate healthcare professionals to adopt new behaviours regarding management of a common form of vestibular dysfunction (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Strategies to support this behaviour change include heightened clarity around role, implementation of local or national guidelines, improved access to training and multidisciplinary support from experts in vestibular dysfunction. Conclusions This study has highlighted that role and knowledge barriers exist to multidisciplinary management of vestibular dysfunction in aTBI. Trauma ward therapists were identified as the most appropriate healthcare professionals to adopt new behaviours. Several strategies are proposed to facilitate such behaviour change. Trial registration number ISRCTN91943864.
A comparison of the dispersion relations for anisotropic elastodynamic finite-difference grids

Several staggered grid schemes have been suggested for performing finite-difference calculations for the elastic wave equations. In this paper, the dispersion relationships and related computational requirements for the Lebedev and rotated staggered grids for anisotropic, elastic, finite-difference calculations in smooth models are analyzed and compared. These grids are related to a popular staggered grid for the isotropic problem, the Virieux grid. The Lebedev grid decomposes into Virieux grids, two in two dimensions and four in three dimensions, which decouple in isotropic media. Therefore the Lebedev scheme will have twice or four times the computational requirements, memory, and CPU as the Virieux grid but can be used with general anisotropy. In two dimensions, the rotated staggered grid is exactly equivalent to the Lebedev grid, but in three dimensions it is fundamentally different. The numerical dispersion in finite-difference grids depends on the direction of propagation and the grid type and parameters. A joint numerical dispersion relation for the two grids types in the isotropic case is derived. In order to compare the computational requirements for the two grid types, the dispersion, averaged over propagation direction and medium velocity are calculated. Setting the parameters so the average dispersion is equal for the two grids, the computational requirements of the two grid types are compared. In three dimensions, the rotated staggered grid requires at least 20% more memory for the field data and at least twice as many number of floating point operations and memory accesses, so the Lebedev grid is more efficient and is to be preferred.