Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Notch signaling via Hes1 transcription factor maintains survival of melanoblasts and melanocyte stem cells

Melanoblasts (Mbs) are thought to be strictly regulated by cell–cell interactions with epidermal keratinocytes, although the precise molecular mechanism of the regulation has been elusive. Notch signaling, whose activation is mediated by cell–cell interactions, is implicated in a broad range of developmental processes. We demonstrate the vital role of Notch signaling in the maintenance of Mbs, as well as melanocyte stem cells (MSCs). Conditional ablation of Notch signaling in the melanocyte lineage leads to a severe defect in hair pigmentation, followed by intensive hair graying. The defect is caused by a dramatic elimination of Mbs and MSCs. Furthermore, targeted overexpression of Hes1 is sufficient to protect Mbs from the elimination by apoptosis. Thus, these data provide evidence that Notch signaling, acting through Hes1, plays a crucial role in the survival of immature Mbs by preventing initiation of apoptosis.
Autonomous space resection using Point‐ and Line‐Based representation of FREE‐FORM control Linear Features

Automatic single photo resection (SPR) remains one of the challenging problems in digital photogrammetry. Visibility and uniqueness of distinct control points in the input imagery limit robust automation of the space resection procedure. Recent advances in photogrammetry mandate adopting higher‐level primitives, such as free‐form control linear features, for replacing traditional control points. Linear features can be automatically extracted from the image space. On the other hand, object space control linear features can be obtained from an existing GIS layer containing 3D vector data such as road networks or from newly developed terrestrial mobile mapping systems (MMS). In this paper, two different approaches are presented for simultaneously determining the position and attitude of the imagery as well as the correspondence between image and object space linear features. These approaches are based on two representation schemes of the linear features. The first one represents the linear feature by a sequence of 2D and 3D points along the linear feature in the image and object space, respectively. The second scheme assumes that the feature is modelled by polylines (a sequence of straight‐line segments). Neither approach requires one‐to‐one correspondence between image and object space primitives, which makes the suggested methodology robust against changes and/or discrepancies between the data‐sets involved. This characteristic will be helpful in detecting and dealing with changes between object and image space linear features (due to temporal effects for example). The parameter estimation and matching follow an optimal sequential procedure that is developed and described within this paper, which depends on the sensitivity of the mathematical model relating corresponding primitives at various image regions to incremental changes in the exterior orientation parameters (EOP). Experiments are conducted to compare the algorithms’ efficiency and the accuracy of the estimated EOP using both approaches. Experimental results using real data demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of both representation schemes as well as the methodologies developed. Moreover, different generalisation levels of the polylines representing the free‐form linear features are compared.
Application of evaluation indicators for assessing the influence of reservoirs on downstream water temperature

To research the water temperature cumulative effect of the power station cascade development, taking the upper reaches of the Yellow River from Ningmute to Maerdang as an example. In the paper, the water temperature impact evaluating indicator was used, combined with three-dimensional model to simulate the distribution of the reservoir area water temperature in its six work conditions. The water temperature affect characteristics of the Maerdang reservoir was reflected intuitively and clearly. When the Maerdang reservoir run separately, the effects of water temperature was small than jointly run. The minimize of the water temperature effect is the separately run wet years condition, while the maximum is jointly run dry year conditions. The baseline deviation from the indicators can intuitively reflect the Maerdang reservoir from month to month, the heating and cooling season and year-round water temperature deviate characteristics. The phase deviation indicators precisely water temperature hysteretic effect. The extremal change indicator vividly describes the effect of water temperature planarizing effect. The application of evaluation indicator can provide a scientific basis for the rational development and utilization of the period for river, reservoir optimal scheduling. Index Terms—the upper reaches of the Yellow River, water temperature, cumulative effect, evaluation indicators.
Passive microwave sensing of soil moisture under vegetation canopies

Vegetation cover has a significant effect on the ability of passive microwave radiometers to detect changes in near-surface soil moisture. A quantitative technique for isolating the effect of vegetation was developed using a theoretical model as the basis of a parametric approach. This approach was evaluated using data collected by truck-mounted sensors over experimental plots. Results show that a microwave radiometer operating at a 21-cm wavelength can provide volumetric surface soil moisture estimates to ∼5% of accuracy for fields covered with moderate vegetation. In addition, all of the data required for applying the parametric model can be measured using remote sensing.
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Nonretinoid Retinol Binding Protein 4 Antagonists for the Potential Treatment of Atrophic Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Stargardt Disease

Accumulation of lipofuscin in the retina is associated with pathogenesis of atrophic age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt disease. Lipofuscin bisretinoids (exemplified by N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine) seem to mediate lipofuscin toxicity. Synthesis of lipofuscin bisretinoids depends on the influx of retinol from serum to the retina. Compounds antagonizing the retinol-dependent interaction of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) with transthyretin in the serum would reduce serum RBP4 and retinol and inhibit bisretinoid formation. We recently showed that A1120 (3), a potent carboxylic acid based RBP4 antagonist, can significantly reduce lipofuscin bisretinoid formation in the retinas of Abca4–/– mice. As part of the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network project we undertook the in vitro exploration to identify novel conformationally flexible and constrained RBP4 antagonists with improved potency and metabolic stability. We also demonstrate that upon acute and chronic dosing in rats, 43, a potent cyclopentyl fused pyrrolidine antagonist, reduced circulating plasma RBP4 protein levels by approximately 60%.
Numerical Evaluation of the Behavior of GRS Walls with Segmental Block Facing under Working Stress Conditions

AbstractThis study numerically evaluated the combined effects of different controlling factors (i.e., wall height, stresses induced during backfill compaction, reinforcement stiffness, toe conditions, and facing stiffness) on the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls under working stress conditions. The results were compared with values predicted by different currently used methods. It was shown that toe resistance has a major effect on the prediction capability of those design methods. Parametric analyses have shown that the amount of tension in the reinforcement varies with restraint at the base of the block facing. For free-base conditions with a constant value for reinforcement stiffness, the tension in the reinforcements was the same irrespective of the facing stiffness and the wall height. For the fixed-base conditions, the amount of tension in the reinforcements and horizontal toe load varied as a function of the facing stiffness. Comparing individual measurements of reinforcement te.
Dermal armour histology of aetosaurs (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia), from the Upper Triassic of Argentina and Brazil

Cerda, I.A. & Desojo, J.B. 2010: Dermal armour histology of aetosaurs (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia), from the Upper Triassic of Argentina and Brazil. Lethaia, Vol. 44, pp. 417–428. One of the most striking features documented in aetosaurs is the presence of an extensive bony armour composed of several osteoderms. Here, we analyse the bone microstructure of these elements in some South American Aetosaurinae aetosaurs, including Aetosauroides scagliai. In general terms, Aetosaurinae osteoderms are compact structures characterized by the presence of three tissue types: a basal cortex of poorly vascularized parallel-fibred bone tissue, a core of highly vascularized fibro-lamellar bone, and an external cortex of rather avascular lamellar bone tissue. Sharpey’s fibres are more visible at the internal core, toward the lateral margins and aligned parallel to the major axis of the dermal plate. No evidence of metaplastic origin is reported in the osteoderms, and we hypothesize an intramembranous ossification for these elements. The bone tissue distribution reveals that the development of the osteoderm in Aetosaurinae starts in a position located medial to the plate midpoint, and the main sites of active osteogenesis occur towards the lateral and medial edges of the plate. The osteoderm ornamentation is originated and maintained by a process of resorption and redeposition of the external cortex, which also includes preferential bone deposition in some particular sites. Given that no secondary reconstruction occurs in the osteoderms, growth marks are well preserved and they provide very important information regarding the relative age and growth pattern of Aetosaurinae aetosaurs. □Aetosauria, Aetosauroides, Archosauria, bone microstructure, integumentary skeleton, osteoderm.
Tumor microenvironment-responsive multifunctional peptide coated ultrasmall gold nanoparticles and their application in cancer radiotherapy

Two important features are required for promising radiosensitizers: one is selective tumor cell targeting to enhance the therapeutic outcome via lethal DNA damage and the other is rapid clearance to enable excellent biocompatibility for potential clinical application. Herein, ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with diameter smaller than 5 nm were prepared and covered with a multifunctional peptide to endow them with selective tumor cell uptake capability. Combined with X-ray irradiation, the responsive Au NPs demonstrated superior radio-sensitizing toxicity and rapid renal clearance in vivo. Methods: A responsive peptide (Tat-R-EK) consists of three build blocks were used: a cell and even nuclear penetrating block derived from human immunodeficiency virus-1 transactivator of transcription protein (Tat), an cathepsin B cleavable linker, and a zwitterionic antifouling block. Ultrasmall Au NPs were prepared and then covered by the peptide via the Au-S bonds between gold and thiol groups from cysteine. The morphology, colloidal stability and the responsiveness of obtained Au@Tat-R-EK NPs were studied using transmittance electron microscopy and dynamic laser scattering. The selective cancer cell uptake and accumulation of Au@Tat-R-EK NPs in cancer tissue were studied via ICP-MS in vitro and in vivo, respectively. The cytotoxicity of Au@Tat-R-EK NPs on HepG2 cancer cells was evaluated in terms of cell viability, DNA damage, intracellular reactive oxygen species generation, and apoptosis analysis. Finally, the biocompatibility and tumor destruction ability against orthotopic LM3 liver cancers were verified in vivo. Results: Multifunctional peptide modified ultrasmall Au NPs were successfully prepared. The Au NPs exhibited enough colloidal stability and cathepsin B-responsive surface change, leading to selectively uptake by cancer cells in vitro and accumulation to tumor sites in vivo. Combined with X-ray irradiation, the responsive Au NPs demonstrated superior radio-sensitizing cytotoxicity in vitro and therapeutic outcome on mouse liver cancer in vivo. The ultrasmall size enables rapid clearance of the Au NPs, guarantees the biocompatibility in vivo for potential clinical applications. Conclusion: Some obstacles faced by the Au NPs-based radiotherapy, such as short circulation half-life, non-specific distribution, slow clearance and low radio-sensitizing effect, were effective solved through rational design of the smart nanomedicine. This work provides new insight in designing tumor microenvironment-responsive nanomedicine in cancer radiotherapy.
Climatic change during the last 4000 years in the southern Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, northwest China

In this study, a ca. 4000 cal. yr ancient lacustrine (or wetland) sediment record at the southern margin of Tarim Basin is used to reconstruct the history of climate change. Six radiocarbon dates on organic matter were obtained. δ18O and δ13C of carbonate, pollen and sediment particle size were analysed for climate proxies. The proxies indicate that a drier climate prevailed in the area before ca. 1010 BC and during period 1010 BC–AD 500 climate then changed rapidly and continuously from dry to moist, but after about AD 500 climate generally shows dry condition. Several centennial‐scale climatic events were revealed, with the wettest spell during AD 450–550, and a relatively wetter interval between AD 930–1030. Pollen results show that regional climate may influence human agricultural activities. Spectral analysis of mean grain size (MGS) proxy reveals statistically pronounced cyclic signals, such as ca. 200 yr, ca. 120 yr, ca. 90 yr, ca. 45 yr and ca. 33 or 30 yr, which may be associated with solar activities, implying that solar variability plays an important role in the decadal‐ and centennial‐scale climate variations in the study area. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modeling the difference in ground-motion magnitude-scaling in small and large earthquakes

It is often the case that ground-motion records for a given area of interest are available in relative abundance for small (Mw < 5) earthquakes but are practically non-existent for larger earthquakes, which have the potential to cause damage to structures. This is a direct consequence of the almost universally observed Gutenberg-Richter relation that a unit increase in magnitude decreases the number of earthquakes observed by a factor of ten (e.g., Frohlich and Davis 1993, Douglas 2003). The productive use of data from small earthquakes for seismic hazard assessments relies on knowledge of how earthquake ground motions scale with magnitude. The majority of ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are derived, usually by regression analysis, to estimate shaking from earthquakes with Mw ≳ 5 (Douglas 2011), but there is often little consideration given to how they extrapolate to small magnitudes, which are sometimes considered within the hazard integral of probabilistic seismic hazard assessments or for the testing of GMPEs against observations, especially for regions of low-to-moderate seismicity.
Winters too warm to skate? Citizen-science reported variability in availability of outdoor skating in Canada

Outdoor ice-skating is an important cultural pastime in many northern regions. Recent studies forecast declining availability of outdoor ice-skating as a result of warming temperatures. Using data on outdoor rinks collected from a citizen science project called RinkWatch, we compared skating conditions to temperature data for 10 cities across Canada, over two winter seasons. We find there is observable variance in the temperature-skating relationship regionally, and from one year to the next. By combining this data with daily temperature simulations based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A2 emissions scenario, we projected the number of skating days by the year 2090 to decline on average by 34 percent in Toronto and Montreal, and 19 percent in Calgary. The results suggest that impacts of a warming climate on future outdoor skating opportunities will exhibit regional variability. Our report further highlights that below-freezing average temperatures do not necessarily provide outdoor ice suitable for skating. Les hivers sont-ils trop chauds pour patiner? La science citoyenne fait etat de la variabilite de la possibilite de patiner en plein air au Canada Le patin a glace en plein air compte parmi les principaux passe-temps culturels dans de nombreuses regions nordiques. Des etudes recentes prevoient que le rechauffement des temperatures diminuera probablement la possibilite de pratiquer le patin a glace en plein air. A partir des donnees obtenues sur des patinoires en plein air grâce au projet de science citoyenne appele RinkWatch, nous avons etabli une comparaison entre les conditions des patinoires et les donnees de temperature dans dix villes canadiennes et ce, pendant deux saisons d'hiver. Une variation de la relation entre le patinage et la temperature a ete observee tant a l'echelle regionale qu'entre les annees. En combinant ces donnees avec des simulations quotidiennes de la temperature sur la base du scenario d'emissions A2 du GIEC, nous estimons que le nombre de jours de patinage d'ici l'an 2090 diminuera en moyenne de 34 % a Toronto et a Montreal, et de 19 % a Calgary. Il existe donc une variabilite regionale des effets du rechauffement climatique sur la pratique du patinage en plein air a l'avenir. Notre rapport met egalement en evidence que des temperatures moyennes au-dessous du point de congelation ne se traduisent pas necessairement par des conditions de glace appropriees pour le patinage en plein air.
New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, Canada

Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli isolates harboring New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) were isolated from a patient who had returned to Canada from India. The NDM-1 gene was found on closely related incompatibility group A/C type plasmids. The occurrence of NDM-1 in North America is a major public health concern.
Interannual variability of circulation–rainfall relationship in Taiwan during the Mei‐yu season

This study aims to investigate interannual variability of seasonal rainfall in Taiwan during the Mei‐yu season (May–June). Its relationship with the low‐level circulation anomaly and associated large‐scale regulatory processes are also examined. It is found that the circulation–rainfall relationship is largely determined by the spatial distribution between Taiwan and the circulation anomaly off the southeastern coastlines of East Asia. For seasons when Taiwan lies under and near the anomalous circulation centre, strong downward (upward) motion and anomalous easterly (southwesterly) moisture flux assocaited with an anomalous high (low) provide large‐scale environments favourable to decreased (increased) Mei‐yu rainfall in Taiwan, resulting in a negative correlation in the circulation–rainfall relationship (anomalous high vs anomalous dry and anomalous low vs anomalous wet). For seasons when Taiwan is located over the northern boundary of the circulation anomaly, anomalous southwesterly (northeasterly) moisture flux induced by an anomalous high (low) enhances (suppresses) moisture supplies from the South China Sea into Taiwan to set up large‐scale conditions suitable for increased (decreased) Mei‐yu rainfall. A positive correlation in the circulation–rainfall relationship (anomalous high vs anomalous wet and anomalous low vs anomalous dry) thus occurs.
Écoulements secondaires dans les rivières: influence sur le transport de quantité de mouvement et de soluté.

L'ecoulement d'une riviere peut generer des circulations secondaires perpendiculaires a sa direction principale. L'effet acoustique Doppler permet de mesurer ces circulations lentes sans perturber l'ecoulement. Sur une portion rectiligne de la Seine, nous utilisons un profileur acoustique (ADCP) place sur un radeau. Ce dispositif nous permet de mesurer la vitesse moyennee en temps au travers de la section a partir des deux faisceaux alignes avec l'ecoulement principal. Ces mesures revelent des courants secondaires organises en cellules de recirculation periodiques, dont le sens de rotation est alterne. Leur taille est comparable a la hauteur d'eau et leur vitesse est de l'ordre de 1% de celle du courant principal. L'observation de ces cellules, inedite en riviere, rappelle les mesures de Blanckaert (2010) en laboratoire. Ces observations sont completees par de nouvelles mesures dans une riviere plus petite en utilisant un profileur acoustique unidirectionnel fixe a la surface de l'eau. A nouveau, ces mesures revelent la presence de cellules comparables a celles observees dans la Seine. Leur influence sur le transport de quantite de mouvement est ensuite etudiee dans le cadre des equations de Saint-Venant. Cette approche permet de reproduire le profil de vitesse au travers de la section. Nous montrons ainsi que ces cellules constituent un mecanisme de transfert dont l'intensite est comparable a celle du transfert turbulent. A l'aide de simulations numeriques, nous etendons ce resultat a la dispersion de matiere dissoute par une serie de cellules contra-rotatives. Enfin, nous discutons les differents mecanismes susceptibles de former ces cellules de recirculation.
Efficient forward modelling using the self-consistent impedance method for electromagnetic surface impedance

The two-dimensional self-consistent impedance method is used to calculate the electromagnetic surface impedance above subsurface structures at very low frequencies. The method was derived from Faraday’s and Ampere’s Laws and results in a linear matrix equation where the right hand side of the equation corresponds to the source field introduced into the model as a fixed magnetic value. An air layer above the earth’s surface is included to allow the scattered magnetic field to be calculated at the surface. The source field is applied above the earth’s surface as a Dirichlet boundary condition, and a Neumann boundary condition is applied to all other boundaries in the solution space. The left hand side of the linear equation corresponds to the impedance matrix determined by discretising the solution space into two-dimensional rectangular pixels or cells bounded by lumped impedance elements, with values determined by the electromagnetic properties of the local media and the size of the pixel in the model. The resulting sparse matrix offers the flexibility of cells of any shape or size. Due to the large matrix dimensions, an iterative solver with a preconditioning technique was used to improve the speed, size and convergence of the solution. The efficient forward modelling has been applied to the analysis of a coal seam with various structural anomalies and line of oxidation along a line defined by 500 m with 0.5 m resolution. This improved technique allows in-field inverse modelling of surface impedance data. This paper reports several likely coal-seam scenarios relevant to surface mining operations. The two-dimensional self-consistent impedance method was used to calculate the electromagnetic surface impedance above subsurface structures at very low frequencies. The technique has been applied to the analysis of a coal seam with various structural anomalies and line of oxidation. This improved technique allows in-field inverse modelling of surface impedance data.