Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bevacizumab reduces neurocan content and gene expression in newborn rat retina in vitro.

PURPOSE Extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular membrane proteoglycans (PGs) play important roles in neural differentiation and cell adhesion. Vascular endothelial growth factor, an important signal protein in vascular and retinal neural cell development, is retained in the ECM due to its high affinity for PG. Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF agent, has been extensively used for treating retinal diseases in adult and newborn patients, although its effect on the developing retina remains largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bevacizumab on neurocan, phosphacan, and syndecan-3 PG levels in newborn rat retina. METHODS Retinal explants of sixty 2-day-old Lister hooded rats were obtained after eye enucleation and maintained in culture media with or without bevacizumab for 48 hours. Immunohistochemical staining was assessed against neurocan, phosphacan, and syndecan-3. Proteoglycan content was quantified based on the intensity of immunohistochemical labeling. Gene expressions were quantified by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results from the treatment and control groups were compared. RESULTS No significant difference in the staining intensity and mRNA expression of phosphacan and syndecan-3 was observed between the groups. However, a significant decrease in neurocan content and mRNA expression was observed in bevacizumab-treated retinal explants compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS Bevacizumab did not affect phosphacan and syndecan-3 levels but decreased neurocan content and gene expression. Therefore, it may interfere with early postnatal retinal cell differentiation. Although further studies are necessary to confirm our findings, we suggest anti-VEGF agents be used with caution in developing retinal tissue.
Advances in crop proteomics: PTMs of proteins under abiotic stress

Under natural conditions, crop plants are frequently subjected to various abiotic environmental stresses such as drought and heat wave, which may become more prevalent in the coming decades. Plant acclimation and tolerance to an abiotic stress are always associated with significant changes in PTMs of specific proteins. PTMs are important for regulating protein function, subcellular localization and protein activity and stability. Studies of plant responses to abiotic stress at the PTMs level are essential to the process of plant phenotyping for crop improvement. The ability to identify and quantify PTMs on a large‐scale will contribute to a detailed protein functional characterization that will improve our understanding of the processes of crop plant stress acclimation and stress tolerance acquisition. Hundreds of PTMs have been reported, but it is impossible to review all of the possible protein modifications. In this review, we briefly summarize several main types of PTMs regarding their characteristics and detection methods, review the advances in PTMs research of crop proteomics, and highlight the importance of specific PTMs in crop response to abiotic stress.
A Name-Based Secure Communication Mechanism for Smart Grid Employing Wireless Networks

With the rapid growth of the Internet, the current TCP/IP based network cannot well satisfy the requirements such as scalable content distribution, mobility, security and so on. The new networking architectures which aren't based on TCP/IP have been a trade of next generation networking such as Information-Centric Networking (ICN). In smart grid, parts of communication protocol in IEC 61850 are also not based on TCP/IP architecture such as Sampled Value (SV) and Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE). IEC 61850 based smart substation employing wireless network has significantly improved the interoperability and interconnection of substation devices. However, with the amount and openness growth of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) nodes, these changes introduce new efficiency, reliability and security challenges especially in wireless network. The strict time requirement has limited the use of heavyweight security protocols to fight against cyber- attacks. To address these issues, a name-based security mechanism using ICN is proposed for the non TCP/IP based SV and GOOSE communication. Publish/ subscribe (pub/sub) based access control and lightweight encryption algorithm are utilized to secure the decentralized large-scale smart grid data sharing. The results show the proposed mechanism is secure and efficient for IEC 61850 communication employing wireless network.
Rapid Formation and Macroscopic Self‐Assembly of Liquid‐Crystalline, High‐Mobility, Semiconducting Thienothiophene

A synergistic approach to enhance charge‐carrier transport in organic semiconductors along with facile solution processing and high performance is crucial for the advancement of organic electronics. The floating film transfer method (FTM) is used as a facile and cost‐effective method for the fabrication of large‐scale, uniform, highly oriented poly[2,5‐bis(3‐tetradecylthiophen‐2‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene] (pBTTT C‐14) films under ambient conditions. Utilization of such oriented films as the active semiconducting layer in organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) results in highly anisotropic charge‐carrier transport. Highly oriented, FTM‐processed pBTTT C‐14 thin films are characterized by polarized electronic absorption and Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, out‐of‐plane X‐ray diffraction, and grazing incident X‐ray diffraction (GIXD) measurements. The GIXD data indicate an edge‐on orientation, which is highly desirable for planar devices such as OFETs. OFETs built using the oriented films show a mobility anisotropy of 10 and the highest mobility is 1.24 cm2 V−1 s−1 along the backbone orientation, which is among the highest value reported for this class of materials using a similar device configuration.
Sox10 is required for Schwann‐cell homeostasis and myelin maintenance in the adult peripheral nerve

The transcription factor Sox10 functions during multiple consecutive stages of Schwann‐cell development in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Although Sox10 continues to be expressed in mature Schwann cells of the adult peripheral nerve, it is currently unclear whether it is still functional. Here, we used a genetic strategy to selectively delete Sox10 in glia of adult mice in a tamoxifen‐dependent manner. The tamoxifen‐treated mice developed a severe peripheral neuropathy that was associated with dramatic alterations in peripheral nerve structure and function. Demyelination and axonal degeneration were as much evident as signs of neuroinflammation. Compound action potentials exhibited pathophysiological alterations. Sox10‐deleted Schwann cells persisted in the peripheral nerve, but did not exhibit a mature, myelinating phenotype arguing that Sox10 is rather required for differentiation and maintenance of the differentiated state than for survival. Our report is the first evidence that Sox10 is still essentially required for Schwann‐cell function in the adult PNS and establishes a useful model in which to study human peripheral neuropathies. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Authors' response The social process theory of emotion: A radical contextualist perspective

In her comentary on our paper, Lois Bloom (1992) claims that the dynamic systems perspective is neither innovative nor explanatory, and that it does not offer any new solutions to the difficult problems of research in the area of emotional development. We believe that Bloom’s commentary raises a number of issues that directly address the potential use and acceptance of a dynamic systems perspective in developmental psychology and our response will focus on those issues.
The ZW Micro-Sex Chromosomes of the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis, Trionychidae, Testudines) Have the Same Origin as Chicken Chromosome 15

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis, Trionychidae, Testudines) has ZZ/ZW-type micro-sex chromosomes where the 18S-28S ribosomal RNA genes (18S-28S rDNA) are located. The W chromosome is morphologically differentiated from the Z chromosome by partial deletion and amplification of 18S-28S rDNA and W-specific repetitive sequences. We recently found a functional gene (TOP3B) mapped on the P. sinensis Z chromosome, which is located on chicken (Gallus gallus, GGA) chromosome 15. Then we cloned turtle homologues of 4 other GGA15-linked genes (GIT2, NF2, SBNO1, SF3A1) and localized them to P. sinensis chromosomes. The 4 genes all mapped on the Z chromosome, and 2 of them (SBNO1, SF3A1) were also localized to the W chromosome. Our mapping data suggest that at least one large inversion occurred between GGA15 and the P. sinensis Z chromosome, and that there are homologous regions in the distal portions of both the short and long arms between the Z and W chromosomes. W chromosomal differentiation in P. sinensis probably proceeded by the deletion of the proximal chromosomal region followed by 18S-28S rDNA amplification, after a paracentric inversion occurred at the breakpoints between the distal region of 18S-28S rDNA and the proximal region of SBNO1 on the Z chromosome.
Processes controlling the seasonal variations in 210 Pb and 7 Be at the Mt. Cimone WMO-GAW global station, Italy: a model analysis

Abstract. We apply the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemistry and transport model driven by NASA's MERRA assimilated meteorological data to simulate the seasonal variations in two radionuclide aerosol tracers (terrigenous 210Pb and cosmogenic 7Be) at the WMO-GAW station of Mt. Cimone (44°12′ N, 10°42′ E; 2165 m a.s.l.; Italy), which is representative of free-tropospheric conditions most of the year, during 2005 with an aim to understand the roles of transport and precipitation scavenging processes in controlling their seasonality. The total precipitation field in the MERRA data set is evaluated with the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) observations, and generally good agreement is found. The model reproduces reasonably the observed seasonal pattern of 210Pb concentrations, characterized by a wintertime minimum due to lower 222Rn emissions and weaker uplift from the boundary layer and summertime maxima resulting from strong convection over the continent. The observed seasonal behavior of 7Be concentrations shows a winter minimum, a summer maximum, and a secondary spring maximum. The model captures the observed 7Be pattern in winter–spring, which is linked to the larger stratospheric influence during spring. However, the model tends to underestimate the observed 7Be concentrations in summer, partially due to the sensitivity to spatial sampling in the model. Model sensitivity experiments indicate a dominant role of precipitation scavenging (vs. dry deposition and convection) in controlling the seasonality of 210Pb and 7Be concentrations at Mt. Cimone.
Antifouling Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Surfaces For Medical Devices

Medical devices inserted into an organism are suspected to the growth of aggregated bacteria on their surface termed biofilm. Biofilm can sometime resist antimicrobial treatments. Thus, implant-associated infections cannot always be treated in an effective way with antibiotics, and in the majority of cases, the only way to fight the infection is to remove the implant. This event poses a public health problem, being crucial to find new strategies to face this serious issue. A promising approach to prevent biofilm formation on medical devices is preventing the adhesion of bacteria to the surface using a coating that avoids bacterial attachment on surfaces, i.e., an antifouling coating. In this work, we used a fluorinated tripeptide that prevent biofilm formation to coat the biopolymer poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) that is suitable for making biodegradable medical devices. Our results shows that PCL coated with this tripeptide reduced the amount of bacteria by ~50% when compared to bare PCL. This newly developed PCL can be useful for the formation of tracheal stents, as this biodegradable polymer is suitable for long term applications due to its slow degradation rate.
Functional joint model for longitudinal and time‐to‐event data: an application to Alzheimer's disease

Functional data are increasingly collected in public health and medical studies to better understand many complex diseases. Besides the functional data, other clinical measures are often collected repeatedly. Investigating the association between these longitudinal data and time to a survival event is of great interest to these studies. In this article, we develop a functional joint model (FJM) to account for functional predictors in both longitudinal and survival submodels in the joint modeling framework. The parameters of FJM are estimated in a maximum likelihood framework via expectation maximization algorithm. The proposed FJM provides a flexible framework to incorporate many features both in joint modeling of longitudinal and survival data and in functional data analysis. The FJM is evaluated by a simulation study and is applied to the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study, a motivating clinical study testing whether serial brain imaging, clinical, and neuropsychological assessments can be combined to measure the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Performance benchmarks for passive UHF RFID tags

This paper describes the first comprehensive benchmark suite for passive UHF RFID tags. These benchmarks give good indications as to how well RFID products will work in "real world" scenarios. We present benchmarks and give some experimental results, as well as key insights that these benchmarks have revealed about the nature of current UHF RFID tags on the market.
Relaxor-ferroelectric transitions: Sodium bismuth titanate derivatives

Sodium bismuth titanate (NBT) and its solid solutions with other ABO_3 perovskites are of great interest for lead-free ferroelectric and piezoelectric applications. In this article, we provide an introduction to the complex structure of NBT, including atomic displacements and nanoscale defects. We also review poling effects and properties as well as NBT-ABO_3 phase equilibria. The interesting relaxor properties, frequency dispersion in dielectric permittivity, and field-induced structural phase transitions of these systems are discussed. Finally, we describe other functional, mechanical, and electrical properties of NBT.
Incomplete registration and reporting of culture-confirmed childhood tuberculosis diagnosed in hospital.

SETTING The South African National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) recommends the registration of tuberculosis (TB) patients at community clinics. TB in children is often diagnosed at referral hospitals, and there are concerns as to whether these children are accurately reflected in routine NTP reporting. OBJECTIVE To assess the completeness of registration of children with culture-confirmed TB diagnosed in a referral hospital, in the routine provincial electronic TB register (ETR.Net), and to describe TB treatment outcomes. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study including children aged <13 years diagnosed with culture-confirmed TB at Tygerberg Children's Hospital from July 2007 to June 2009. Data on demographic, clinical and referral factors were collated from hospital data sources. Electronic matching was used to identify children in the provincial ETR.Net. RESULTS Only 166 of 267 (62%) children were registered in ETR.Net. Children with TB meningitis and death prior to referral were significantly less likely to be registered. Treatment outcome data were available for only 70% of children; favourable outcomes were reported in 56%. CONCLUSIONS A large proportion of children diagnosed with confirmed TB at a referral hospital were not registered, resulting in underreporting of the burden and severity of childhood TB. Routine surveillance of childhood TB should include linkage of hospital data.
Impact of the anatomical location, alcoholism and smoking on the prevalence of advanced oral cancer in Brazil

Background To evaluate the prevalence of oral cancer in Brazil according to the clinical stage, anatomical location, alcoholism and smoking. Material and Methods Data referring to 31,217 cases of oral cancer, from 2000 to 2010, were obtained from the Integrator Module of the Hospital Registry of Cancer. Inconsistent data (“non-classified” cases) was eliminated and 21,160 cases were analyzed. The frequency distribution according to clinical stage, anatomical location, alcoholism and smoking was analyzed descriptively and through a binary logistic regression model (α<0.05). The clinical stage (dependent variable) was dichotomized in early stage (I and II) or advanced stage (III and IV). The year of diagnosis, anatomical location and deleterious habits (alcoholism and smoking) were considered independent variables. Results The most frequent characteristics were: oropharynx location (n=3856, 18.41%), clinical stage IV (n=11924, 56.09%) and combined use of alcohol and tobacco (n=19226; 61.59%). The year 2009 (p<0.01, PR = 1.162, CI-95%=1.053-1.283) and location at the base of tongue (p<0.01, PR = 2.485, CI-95% = 2.182-2.807) presented a higher prevalence ratio for advanced stage oral cancer. The combined use of alcohol and tobacco showed a higher prevalence rate for the advanced clinical stage of cancer (p<0.01, PR =1.449, CI-95%=1.382-1.520) if compared to individuals without habits, or just alcoholics. Conclusions Higher prevalence of advanced stage of oral cancer is related to the localization at the base of the tongue and to the concomitant use of alcohol and tobacco. Therefore, it can be suggested that all these characteristics lead to a worse prognosis of oral cancer. Key words:Oral cancer, neoplasm staging, alcoholism, tobacco use disorder.
Stretchable and Foldable Silicon Integrated Circuits

We have developed a simple approach to high-performance, stretchable, and foldable integrated circuits. The systems integrate inorganic electronic materials, including aligned arrays of nanoribbons of single crystalline silicon, with ultrathin plastic and elastomeric substrates. The designs combine multilayer neutral mechanical plane layouts and “wavy” structural configurations in silicon complementary logic gates, ring oscillators, and differential amplifiers. We performed three-dimensional analytical and computational modeling of the mechanics and the electronic behaviors of these integrated circuits. Collectively, the results represent routes to devices, such as personal health monitors and other biomedical devices, that require extreme mechanical deformations during installation/use and electronic properties approaching those of conventional systems built on brittle semiconductor wafers.
A NEURAL NETWORK APPLICATION FOR A COMPUTER ACCESS SECURITY SYSTEM: KEYSTROKE DYNAMICS VERSUS VOICE PATTERNS

A neural network architecture is proposed to deal with a situation of multiple users where each user has his/her own password with different length. Two groups of experiments were conducted to find a better and a reliable way for a computer access security system. The neural networks are trained using time intervals between successive keystrokes during password entry through keyboard and voice patterns spoken via a microphone, respectively. The performance of the neural networks designed for each of the experiments is evaluated in terms of recognition accuracy. Two major issues, preventive security and detection of violations, which may be in question for a security system, are examined.
Privatisation, the Market for Corporate Control, and Capital Flight from Russia

The estimates of the amount of capital flight vary widely, ranging from a low of $30 billion toa high of $300 billion.1PRIVATIZATION, THE MARKET FOR CORPORATE CONTROL, AND CAPITAL FLIGHT FROM RUSSIARonald W introbeDepartment of Economics University of W estern Ontario1. IntroductionWhile the data are ambiguous and estimates vary considerably, there seems to be a generalconsensus that some, perhaps a substantial amount
AIDS Vaccination Studies Using an Ex Vivo Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Model: Homologous Erythrocytes as a Delivery System for Preferential Immunization with Putative Protective Antigens

ABSTRACT Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a useful model for testing of criteria for AIDS vaccine development. In the protocol we adopted, we used a primary isolate of FIV as a source of antigen and, for challenge, plasma from cats infected with the homologous virus never passaged in vitro. Cat erythrocytes (RBC) were coated with the surface components of freshly harvested and purified FIV by means of biotin-avidin-biotin bridges and used to immunize specific-pathogen-free cats (four doses at monthly intervals; total amount of FIV antigen administered per cat, approximately 14 μg). Immunized cats developed moderate levels of antibodies directed mainly to surface components of the virion and clearly evident lymphoproliferative responses. Four months after the last dose of immunogen, FIV-immunized cats and control cats immunized with bovine serum albumin-coated RBC were challenged. Judged from the results of the subsequent 12-month follow-up, FIV-immunized cats exhibited at least some degree of protection. However, following rechallenge, most of the FIV-immunized animals became virus positive in spite of a booster immunogen dose given 2 months before the second challenge.
Is Early Learning Really More Productive? The Effect of School Starting Age on School and Labor Market Performance

In Sweden, children typically start compulsory school the year they turn seven. Hence, individuals born just before or just after the new year, have about the same date of birth but start school at different ages. We exploit this source of exogenous variation, to identify the effects of age at school entry on test scores, grades, educational attainment and labor market performance. Using a rich data set for the entire Swedish population born 1935-84, we find that children who start school at an older age do better in school and go on to have more education than their younger peers. Children from families with weaker educational tradition have more to win from starting school later. The long-run earnings effects are positive but small. However, since starting school later entails the opportunity cost of entering the labor market later, the net earnings effect over the entire life-cycle is negative. Exploiting within-school variation in peer age composition, we find that the school starting age effect primarily is due to absolute maturity rather than to the relative age in the class.
Crystallography characteristics of tetragonal nano-zirconia films under various oxygen partial pressure

Structural features and surface morphology of ZrO thin films electron beam evaporation-deposited under various oxygen partial pressure were studied. It was indicated tetragonal phase for all samples by XRD pattern. The highest crystallite size calculated via Scherrer equation is observed at the oxygen partial pressure of mbar; that was in good agreement with the high-resolution surface images obtained by FE-SEM. The photoluminescence spectrum of t-zirconia films exhibits an intense peak at 351 nm, this emission decrease in intensity by elevation of oxygen partial pressures. Surface roughness profile and scaling analyses were made by surface measurements of atomic force microscopy with using the height-height correlation function. The roughness has the maximum value at the highest oxygen partial pressure. It has been found that with the increase of oxygen partial pressures, lateral correlation length of samples increased, and fractal dimension changed within the range of 2.20–2.26.