Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epistatic interactions in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a poorly understood complex disorder, which results in progressive remodeling of the pulmonary artery that ultimately leads to right ventricular failure. A two-hit hypothesis has been implicated in pathogenesis of IPAH, according to which the vascular abnormalities characteristic of PAH are triggered by the accumulation of genetic and/or environmental insults in an already existing genetic background. The multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis is a statistical method used to identify gene–gene interaction or epistasis and gene–environment interactions that are associated with a particular disease. The MDR method collapses high-dimensional genetic data into a single dimension, thus permitting interactions to be detected in relatively small sample sizes. AIM: To identify and characterize polymorphisms/genes that increases the susceptibility to IPAH using MDR analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 77 IPAH patients and 100 controls were genotyped for eight polymorphisms of five genes (5HTT, EDN1, NOS3, ALK-1, and PPAR-γ2). MDR method was adopted to determine gene–gene interactions that increase the risk of IPAH. RESULTS: With MDR method, the single-locus model of 5HTT (L/S) polymorphism and the combination of 5HTT(L/S), EDN1(K198N), and NOS3(G894T) polymorphisms in the three-locus model were attributed to be the best models for predicting susceptibility to IPAH, with a P value of 0.05. CONCLUSION: MDR method can be useful in understanding the role of epistatic and gene–environmental interactions in pathogenesis of IPAH.
A Novel Fast Acting PI based Multilevel DSTATCOM

The instantaneous response of the distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM) is very important while compensating rapidly varying balanced, unbalanced and nonlinear loads. Any change in the load affects the dc-link voltage directly. The proper operation of DSTATCOM requires variation of the dc-link voltage within the prescribed limits. Conventionally, a proportional-integral (PI) controller is used to maintain the dc-link voltage to the reference value. It uses deviation of the capacitor voltage from its reference value as its input. However, the transient response of the conventional PI dc-link voltage controller is slow. In this paper, a fast-acting dc-link voltage controller based on the energy of a dc-link capacitor is proposed. Mathematical equations are given to compute the gains of the conventional controller based on fast-acting dclink voltage controllers to achieve similar fast transient response. The detailed simulations are carried out on MATLAB environment to validate the proposed
Densification of Precursor‐Derived Si‐C‐N Ceramics by High‐Pressure Hot Isostatic Pressing

Densification behavior of precursor-derived Si-C-N ceramics by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) has been investigated to obtain dense ceramics derived from polymer precursor. An as-pyrolyzed ceramic monolith, which had a porosity of about 17%, could be deformed up to a strain of 8% in preliminary uniaxial compression tests. The flow stress of the material was much higher than 200 MPa at 1600°C; thus high stress was necessary for densification by HIP. The density of the monolith increased from 1.9 to 2.4 g/cm3 by HIP at 1600°C and 980 MPa. Although the number of pores decreased, large pores were formed in the hot isostatically pressed monolith. On the other hand, denser ceramics, in which pores were not observed by optical microscopy, were obtained by hot isostatically pressing the pyrolyzed powder compact.
Relationship between Maximum Clot Firmness in ROTEM® and Postoperative Bleeding after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in Patients Using Clopidogrel

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between maximum clot firmness (MCF) in rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®) and postoperative bleeding in patients on clopidogrel after emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Methods: This observational study recruited 60 patients posted for emergency CABG following unsuccessful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) while on 600 mg of clopidogrel. The study population was divided into 2 groups on the basis of their MCF in the extrinsically activated thromboelastometric (EXTEM) component of the (preoperative) ROTEM® test: patients with MCF <50 mm (n = 16) and those with MCF ≥50 mm (n = 44). Postoperative chest tube drainage amount, need for blood product transfusion, postoperative complications, and duration of mechanical ventilation after CABG were recorded. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding duration of surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, and aortic cross-clamp time. Chest tube drainage at 6, 12, and 24 h after Intensive Care Unit admission were significantly higher in the patients with MCF below 50 mm. The need for blood product transfusion was higher in the group with MCF <50 mm. In patients who experienced postoperative bleeding of 1000 mL or more, the ROTEM® parameters of INTEM (Intrinsically activated thromboelastomery) α and MCF, EXTEM α and MCF, and HEPTEM (INTEM assay performed in the presence of heparinase) MCF (but not FIBTEM (Thromboelastometric assay for the fibrin part of the clot) values) were significantly lower than those with postoperative bleeding <1000 mL (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: When platelet aggregometry is not available, the ROTEM® test could be useful for the prediction of increased risk bleeding after emergency CABG in patients who have received a loading dose of clopidogrel.
Immune responses in pigs and cattle vaccinated with half-volume foot-and-mouth disease vaccine

With the current commercial foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, inoculating twice increases the formation of denatured meat due to granuloma or residual adjuvant at the injection site in pigs, resulting in economic loss. Therefore, we investigated protective antibody levels after reducing the amount of adjuvant in the vaccine. Field applicability of the experimental vaccine, made with a new adjuvant ISA 201, was tested by vaccinating farm animals with half-volume doses (1 mL/animal) of commercial vaccine and monitoring their immunogenicity. Among pigs, the group that received a half-volume dose showed similar or higher titers of structural protein antibody and neutralizing antibody than those receiving the standard dose (2 mL). In pigs, the durable effects of antibody titer of the reduced vaccine volume did not diminish up to the time of slaughter. Among cattle, boosting with a second 1 mL vaccine increased virus neutralizing antibody for the protective effects. The boosting effects were more marked in cattle than in pigs. The immune responses differed between species with the effect of the half-volume vaccination being lower in cattle than in pigs. In conclusion, the immune response to the half-volume vaccine was similar to that from the standard volume vaccine in pigs, but not in cattle.
Reduced solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence from GOME‐2 during Amazon drought caused by dataset artifacts

Recently, Yang et al. () reported a decrease in solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) during 2015/2016 El Niño event albeit the increase in enhanced vegetation index (EVI). They interpreted the reduced SIF as a signal of reduced ecosystem photosynthesis. However, we argue that the reduced SIF during 2015/2016 is caused by a decreasing trend of SIF due to sensor degradation and the satellite overpass time is critical for drought impact assessment.
Psychosocial interventions for use in pediatric primary care: An examination of providers' perspectives.

INTRODUCTION The integration of psychosocial interventions in primary care settings is 1 mechanism to increase access to mental health care to youth in need. Although the delivery of psychosocial interventions by primary care providers (PCPs) reflects 1 example of this integration, research indicates that various barriers to implementation by PCPs exist. With the goal of informing a framework to guide the selection of treatments amenable to PCP practice, the authors sought to examine which criteria might influence a PCP's intention to use a given psychosocial intervention. METHOD Using survey methodology, 49 PCPs ranked characteristics of interventions for feasibility and applicability to their patient populations and setting. RESULTS Survey respondents found the following characteristics most important: time to employ, applicability to multiple disorders, ease of use, and ease of learning. Providers who endorsed more negative beliefs and attitudes toward addressing psychosocial concerns in youth were more likely to see certain criteria, such as ease of use and ease of learning, as more important. DISCUSSION The authors illustrate the potential application of these findings to the selection of psychosocial interventions for use in primary care and discuss future research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record
Study and control of drop motion on inclined surfaces

This PhD thesis collects different experimental studies in the field of wetting phenomena and open microfluidics, which analyze the behavior of liquid drops on free open surfaces. The main goal of such a research is to develop smart coatings featuring useful wetting properties (e. g. water repellent, antifogging and antireflection materials) or techniques aimed at manipulating droplets for chemical or biological applications. In particular this work considers both passive and active methods to control the statics and dynamics of drops deposited on an inclined plane and consequently subject to an external constant force, the gravity force. Among the passive techniques based on surface patterning, we investigated the adhesion properties of multiscale nano- and microstructured hairy surfaces made of polymers having different elasticity. Also, chemically patterned surfaces, formed by hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions of different shape (stripes, squares and triangles), have found to be an effective tool to passively tune drop sliding velocity. Chemically heterogeneous surfaces can affect not only sliding velocity, but also drop trajectory. To further investigate the deviation of a drop by means of a chemical pattern we considered a sample formed by only two regions featuring different wettability, i. e. a chemical step characterized by a linear interface. On the other hand, an active manipulation implies the application of an external field, as, for instance, electric, magnetic or acoustic. As active technique we considered asymmetric vibrations of the substrate, able to induce interesting and surprising dynamical behaviors: small droplets placed on a vertically oscillating inclined plane can stay pinned, slide down, but even climb up the surface against gravity. Even if the vast majority of our experiments involves ordinary liquids, in particular water and aqueous solutions, our research about sliding includes also the study of complex fluids, more precisely polymer solutions, exhibiting rheological properties (e. g. viscosity and elastic behaviors) depending on the applied stress.
Surface Sensing for Paenibacillus sp. NAIST15-1 Flagellar Gene Expression on Solid Medium

ABSTRACT A rhizosphere Gram-positive bacterial isolate, Paenibacillus sp. NAIST15-1, exhibits intriguing motility behavior on hard agar medium. Paenibacillus sp. shows increased transcription of flagellar genes and hyperflagellation when transferred from liquid to solid medium. Hyperflagellated cells form wandering colonies that are capable of moving around on the surface of medium containing ≥1.5% agar. Transposon mutagenesis was used to identify genes critical for motility. In addition to flagellar genes, this mutagenesis identified five nonflagellar structural genes that were important for motility. Of these, the disruption of degSU, wsfP, or PBN151_4312 resulted in a complete loss of flagellin synthesis. Analysis of flagellar gene promoter activity showed that each mutation severely reduced flagellar gene transcription in a different manner. Flagellar gene transcription was induced in liquid medium by the addition of a viscous agent, Ficoll, or by disruption of flagellar stator genes, indicating that flagellar gene transcription was induced in response to restriction of flagellar rotation. Overexpression of DegSU bypassed the requirement of flagellar rotation restriction for induction of flagellar genes. These results indicate that physical restriction of flagellar rotation by physical contact with the surface of solid medium induces flagellar gene transcription through the activation of DegSU. Further analysis revealed that the same mechanism was conserved in Bacillus subtilis. These results demonstrate that flagella act as mechanosensors to control flagellar transcription in Gram-positive bacteria. IMPORTANCE Many bacteria exist on living or nonliving surfaces in nature. Bacteria express distinct behaviors, such as surface motility and biofilm formation, to adapt to surfaces. However, it remains largely unknown how bacteria sense the surfaces on which they sit and how they induce the genes needed for growth on a surface. Swarming motility is flagellum-dependent motility on a surface. The Gram-positive bacterium Paenibacillus sp. exhibits strong swarming motility ability and is capable of moving on 1.5% agar medium. In this study, we showed that the two-component system DegSU was responsible for inducing flagellar genes in response to heavy loads on flagellar rotation in Paenibacillus sp. The same mechanism was conserved in a related species, B. subtilis, even though these two bacteria exhibit very different motility behaviors. This study shows that flagellum serves as a sensor for surface contact to induce flagellar gene transcription in these bacteria.
Lattice-Based Turn Model for Adaptive Routing

This paper presents a model for designing partially adaptive logic-based distributed routing algorithms. Unlike the previous methods, the Lattice-based Turn Model associates turn prohibitions with the points of different full-rank integer lattices. Due to the generality of the proposed model, existing approaches can be considered a subset of the solution space identified by this work. Morover, we propose three theorems that are instrumental to the design of lattice-based routing algorithms. In particular, the second theorem gives a necessary and sufficient condition to prove that a lattice-based routing algorithm is deadlock-free as long as the lattice basis meets certain requirements. Based on the proposed model, a novel routing algorithm, called lattice-based routing algorithm (LBRA), is presented. Simulation results exhibit encouraging performance improvements over state-of-the-art approaches when considering real and synthetic benchmarks. For instance, average 71 and 18 percent latency reductions are observed under transpose1 traffic compared to, respectively, Odd-Even and Repetitive Turn Model routing algorithms. Furthermore, LBRA achieves up to 38 and 17 percent performance improvement under real traffic as compared to Odd-Even and Repetitive Turn Model routing algorithms.
The Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI): Development, Psychometric Properties, and Clinical Utility

Objective: To develop and test a pictorial-based assessment tool, the Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI), evaluating complex trauma history and symptomatology in children ages 5 to 11. Method: 21 participating clinicians (master’s level or higher) were asked to utilize a prototype version of the CCTI and the UCLA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSD-RI) with 1 client, ages 5–11, with known exposure to trauma, provide demographic information, scores, and complete a Clinical Utility and Feasibility Survey (CUFS). Results: The CCTI Symptomatology scale was internally consistent (a = .931). CCTI convergent validity was supported by robust correlations between the CCTI and UCLA PTSD-RI trauma history and symptomatology scales, r = . 677 and . 810, respectively, p < . 001. Conclusion: Clinicians responding to the CUFS described the CCTI as comprehensive, developmentally and culturally appropriate, easy to use, and engaging. Survey data illustrated that while clinicians reported positive experiences using the CCTI, some struggled with the symptomatology scale and did not elicit information from the child on several domains of impairment.
The function and mechanism of vocal accommodation in humans and other primates

The study of non‐human animals, in particular primates, can provide essential insights into language evolution. A critical element of language is vocal production learning, i.e. learning how to produce calls. In contrast to other lineages such as songbirds, vocal production learning of completely new signals is strikingly rare in non‐human primates. An increasing body of research, however, suggests that various species of non‐human primates engage in vocal accommodation and adjust the structure of their calls in response to environmental noise or conspecific vocalizations. To date it is unclear what role vocal accommodation may have played in language evolution, in particular because it summarizes a variety of heterogeneous phenomena which are potentially achieved by different mechanisms. In contrast to non‐human primates, accommodation research in humans has a long tradition in psychology and linguistics. Based on theoretical models from these research traditions, we provide a new framework which allows comparing instances of accommodation across species, and studying them according to their underlying mechanism and ultimate biological function. We found that at the mechanistic level, many cases of accommodation can be explained with an automatic perception–production link, but some instances arguably require higher levels of vocal control. Functionally, both human and non‐human primates use social accommodation to signal social closeness or social distance to a partner or social group. Together, this indicates that not only some vocal control, but also the communicative function of vocal accommodation to signal social closeness and distance must have evolved prior to the emergence of language, rather than being the result of it. Vocal accommodation as found in other primates has thus endowed our ancestors with pre‐adaptations that may have paved the way for language evolution.
Development of an HIV Testing Dashboard to Complement the HIV Care Continuum Among MSM, PWID, and Heterosexuals in Washington, DC, 2007–2015

Background: We developed an HIV testing dashboard to complement the HIV care continuum in selected high-risk populations. Using National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) data, we examined trends in HIV testing and care for men who have sex with men (MSM), persons who inject drugs (PWID), and heterosexuals at elevated risk (HET). Methods: Between 2007 and 2015, 4792 participants ≥18 years old completed a behavioral survey and were offered HIV testing. For the testing dashboard, proportions ever tested, tested in the past year, testing HIV-positive, and newly testing positive were calculated. An abbreviated care continuum for self-reported positive (SRP) persons included ever engagement in care, past year care, and current antiretroviral (ARV) use. The testing dashboard and care continuum were calculated separately for each population. Chi-square test for trend was used to assess significant trends over time. Results: Among MSM, lifetime HIV testing and prevalence significantly increased from 96% to 98% (P = 0.01) and 14%–20% (P = 0.02) over time; prevalence was highest among black MSM at all time points. HIV prevalence among female persons who inject drugs was significantly higher in 2015 vs. 2009 (27% and 13%; P < 0.01). Among heterosexuals at elevated risk from 2010 to 2013, annual testing increased significantly (45%–73%; P < 0.001) and the proportion newly diagnosed decreased significantly (P < 0.01). Self-reported positive MSM had high levels of care engagement and antiretroviral use; among self-reported positive persons who inject drugs and heterosexuals at elevated risk, past year care engagement and antiretroviral use increased over time. Conclusions: The HIV testing dashboard can be used to complement the HIV care continuum to display improvements and disparities in HIV testing and care over time.
Estimation of Daily Average Downward Shortwave Radiation over Antarctica

Surface shortwave (SW) irradiation is the primary driving force of energy exchange in the atmosphere and land interface. The global climate is profoundly influenced by irradiation changes due to the special climatic condition in Antarctica. Remote-sensing retrieval can offer only the instantaneous values in an area, whilst daily cycle and average values are necessary for further studies and applications, including climate change, ecology, and land surface process. When considering the large values of and small diurnal changes of solar zenith angle and cloud coverage, we develop two methods for the temporal extension of remotely sensed downward SW irradiance over Antarctica. The first one is an improved sinusoidal method, and the second one is an interpolation method based on cloud fraction change. The instantaneous irradiance data and cloud products are used in both methods to extend the diurnal cycle, and obtain the daily average value. Data from South Pole and Georg von Neumayer stations are used to validate the estimated value. The coefficient of determination (R2) between the estimated daily averages and the measured values based on the first method is 0.93, and the root mean square error (RMSE) is 32.21 W/m2 (8.52%). As for the traditional sinusoidal method, the R2 and RMSE are 0.68 and 70.32 W/m2 (18.59%), respectively The R2 and RMSE of the second method are 0.96 and 25.27 W/m2 (6.98%), respectively. These values are better than those of the traditional linear interpolation (0.79 and 57.40 W/m2 (15.87%)).
When are ‘sharks’ beneficial? Corporate venture capital investment and startup innovation performance

ABSTRACT The effect of corporate venture capital (CVC) investment on startup innovation performance has been examined in the extant literature. However, when this effect is enhanced is the important but relatively understudied question in strategy and entrepreneurship research. We build on the idea of regarding CVC investment relationships as learning alliances and introduce two situational factors as boundary conditions on the performance effect of CVC investment. In order to handle the endogeneity of CVC investment, we employ propensity score matching and differences-in-differences techniques. Based on the sample of startups in the human biotechnology industry in the United States, we find that CVC funding is beneficial for startup innovativeness when CVC investment is established after initial independent venture capital funding. Moreover, a startup’s patent stock before CVC funding also influences on that effect.