Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time till death affects spider mobility and web-building behavior during web construction in an orb-web spider

Abstract It is well known that age influences organism mobility. This was demonstrated in vertebrates (such as mammals and birds) but has been less studied in invertebrates with the exception of Drosophila and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we studied the influence of age on the mobility of the orb-weaving spider Zygiella x-notata during web construction. The orb-web is a good model because it has a characteristic geometrical structure and video tracking can be used to easily follow the spider’s movements during web building. We investigated the influence of age (specifically chronological age, life span, and time till death) on different parameters of spider mobility during the construction of the capture spiral (distance traveled, duration of construction, spider velocity, spider movement, and spider inactivity) with a generalized linear model (GLM) procedure adjusted for the spider mass. The results showed that neither chronological age, nor life span affected the mobility parameters. However, when the time till death decreased, there was a decrease in the distance traveled, the duration of the construction of the capture spiral, and the spider movement. The spider velocity and the time of inactivity were not affected. These results could be correlated with a decrease in the length of the silky thread deposited for the construction of the capture spiral. Spiders with a shorter time till death built smaller web using less silk. Thus, our study suggests strongly that time till death affects spider mobility during web construction but not the chronological age and thus may be a good indicator of senescence.
Develop an Excel-Based Modeling Tool to Predict Weld and HAZ Cooling Rate and Hardness for Pipeline Welding

A Microsoft Excel-based screening tool was developed to allow an engineer with weld process knowledge to predict cooling rate and hardness during welding procedure qualifications to screen a combination of materials and welding process parameters quickly to meet requirements of fabrication and design codes. The material properties for commonly used pipeline steels have been built into a database coupled with the screening tool. The Excel-based tool includes a physics-based laser and arc welding solution which was developed based on Rosenthal’s mathematical equations for a point heat source to predict thermal cycles by inputting welding parameters. A reflecting heat source scheme was adapted to model the boundary conditions and plate thickness effect on cooling rate. The Excel-based tool also includes a microstructure model which was developed based on the Ashby model. The microstructure model can be used to predict the distributions of individual phases such as ferrite, bainite, and martensite along with a hardness map across the weld and heat-affected-zone (HAZ) regions by integrating with the thermal model.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Comorbidity in US patients with multiple sclerosis

Objective To assess the trends in the prevalence of comorbidities in US patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and the association of demographic characteristics with the presence of comorbidities. Study design A retrospective analysis was conducted from a sample of 5 million patients from the IMS Health Real World Data Adjudicated Claims – US database. Methods Comorbidity in patients with MS was assessed by year (2006–2014), and logistic regression models evaluated the association of age, sex, and region with select comorbidities. Results The most common comorbidities from 2006 to 2014 were hyperlipidemia and hypertension (25.9%–29.7% of patients within an individual year), followed by gastrointestinal disease (18.4%–21.2% of patients) and thyroid disease (12.9%–17.1% of patients). The proportion with a claim for hyperlipidemia increased from 2006 to 2009, was stable from 2009 to 2011, and then declined from 2011 to 2014. The proportion with a claim for hypertension generally increased from 2006 to 2013, then declined from 2013 to 2014. The proportion with a claim for gastrointestinal disease, thyroid disease, and anxiety generally increased from 2006 to 2014. Claims for comorbidities were statistically significantly more likely among older age groups (p<0.05), with the exception of anxiety and alcohol abuse, which were statistically significantly less likely among older age groups. Claims for gastrointestinal disease (OR=0.75), thyroid disease (OR=0.36), chronic lung disease (OR=0.76), arthritis (OR=0.71), anxiety (OR=0.63), and depression (OR=0.69) were statistically significantly less likely among males versus females (all p<0.05). Claims for hyperlipidemia (OR=1.39), hypertension (OR=1.25), diabetes (OR=1.31), and alcohol abuse (OR=2.41) were significantly more likely among males (p<0.05). Many comorbidity claims were statistically significantly more likely in the Northeast and South compared with the Midwest and West. Conclusion This study provides select comorbidity claims estimates in US patients with MS, and thus highlights the importance of comprehensive patient care approaches.
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) remain among the most significant and intriguing unsolved problems in obstetrics. In India, the prevalence of HDP was 7.8% with pre-eclampsia in 5.4% of the study population. The anaesthetic problems in HDP may be due to the effects on the cardiovascular, respiratory, neurologic, renal, haematologic, hepatic and uteroplacental systems. The basic management objectives should be facilitating the birth of an infant who subsequently thrives and completes restoration of health to the mother, or the termination of pregnancy with the least possible trauma to mother and foetus in severe pre-eclampsia. This comprises obstetric management, adequate foetal surveillance, antihypertensive management, anticonvulsant therapy, safe analgesia for labour and management of anaesthesia for delivery.
The Effect of L-Carnitine, Hypotaurine, and Taurine Supplementation on the Quality of Cryopreserved Chicken Semen

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of L-carnitine (LC), hypotaurine (HT), and taurine (T) on the quality of frozen-thawed chicken semen. Pooled semen samples were divided into seven aliquots (control, 1 mM LC, 5 mM LC, 1 mM HT, 10 mM HT, 1 mM T, and 10 mM T) and subjected to cryopreservation. Postthaw sperm motility was determined by IVOS system and sperm characteristics were assessed with fluorochromes and flow cytometry. The highest sperm motility and the highest percentage of viable sperm were in the HT1 group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05) following cryopreservation. After thawing, we observed a higher percentage of sperm without apoptosis and membrane reorganization changes in the LC1 and T1 group when compared to the control (P < 0.05). There was a higher percentage of live sperm without lipid peroxidation (LPO) in all treatments (P < 0.01; P < 0.05), when compared to the control group. The percentage of sperm with high mitochondrial potential significantly increased with LC1, T1, and T10 (P < 0.05). Supplementation of the diluent with LC1, LC5, and T1 significantly (P < 0.05) reduced DNA susceptibility to fragmentation, compared to the control and HT1 groups. These results indicate that the addition of examined antioxidants improves the quality of cryopreserved chicken semen.
Morphometric traits of gizzard in relation to feeding habits of wild Sardinian partridges (Alectoris barbara barbara, Bonnaterre, 1790) with particular regard to clast selection

Housing and feeding practices of wild birds for conservation management of biodiversity or restocking play a crucial role in determining the survival rates of animals when released into nature. Failure in coping with the environment might be one of the main flaws captive animals can experience when put into natural habitat. The present investigation aimed at exploring feeding habits and related morphometric traits of gizzard with respective content from wild partridges in comparison with captive ones. A total of 52 hunted wild Sardinian adult partridges (Alectoris barbara barbara Bonnaterre, 1790) were used. By comparison, 42 captive adult partridges reared in cages were enrolled. From each animal, the morphology of gizzard was investigated and respective content analysed for gross composition and taxonomical determination of fractions. Wet sieving analysis of each gizzard content was carried out (four-sieve towers with different mesh sizes: 1 mm, 500 μm, 250 μm and 125 μm), and relative and absolute weight of fresh filled and empty gizzards were recorded. Thickness of muscular layer of gizzard wall was measured by stereomicroscope. Carcass weight significantly (p < 0.05) differed between captive vs. wild partridges (478 ± 21 and 305 ± 35 g respectively). Post-mortem inspection highlighted gross morphological differences of gizzards between the two groups. Fresh weight of empty gizzards was 6.37 ± 0.80 vs. 11.25 ± 1.82 g, with average pH values of digesta 4.97 ± 0.11 vs. 4.38 ± 0.28 in captive vs. wild partridges respectively. Gizzard content from wild partridges accounted a 61.7% vs. 38.3% of biological vs. non-biological material proportions (DM basis). The non-biological material was mostly represented by lithic fragments and minerals (quartz, feldspar, calcite and mica) with specific peculiarities in terms of granulometry and morphometry. Feeding the captive partridges should point to support morphological and functional adaptation of gizzards to the feeding stuffs naturally available in the environment.
Network-based H∞ control for offshore steel jacket platforms

This paper is concerned with network-based H<sub>∞</sub> control for an offshore steel jacket platform subject to nonlinear wave-induced force and external disturbance. A network-based dynamic model of the offshore platform with an active tuned mass damper mechanism is presented, and a network-based H<sub>∞</sub> control scheme is presented to attenuate the vibration of the offshore platform. The effects of the network-induced delays on the H<sub>∞</sub> control for the offshore platform is investigated. Simulation results show that the proposed network-based H<sub>∞</sub> control scheme can improve the control performance of the offshore platform significantly. In addition, the control force and the oscillation amplitudes of the offshore platform under the network-based H<sub>∞</sub> controller with proper network-induced delays are smaller than the ones under the H<sub>∞</sub> controller without network settings, which means that the proper network-induced delays are of the positive effects on the H<sub>∞</sub> control of the offshore platform.
Enhanced gastric retention and drug release via development of novel floating microspheres based on Eudragit E100 and polycaprolactone: synthesis and in vitro evaluation

Abstract Eudragit E 100 and polycaprolactone (PCL) floating microspheres for enhanced gastric retention and drug release were successfully prepared by oil in water solvent evaporation method. Metronidazole benzoate, an anti-protozoal drug, was used as a model drug. Polyvinyl alcohol was used as an emulsifier. The prepared microspheres were observed for % recovery, % degree of hydration, % water uptake, % drug loading, % buoyancy and % drug release. The physico-chemical properties of the microspheres were studied by calculating encapsulation efficiency of microspheres and drug release kinetics. Drug release characteristics of microspheres were studied in simulated gastric fluid and simulated intestinal fluid i.e., at pH 1.2 and 7.4 respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to reveal the chemical interaction between drug and polymers. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted to study the morphology of the synthesized microspheres.
Speculative execution exception recovery using write-back suppression

One of the key design concerns of multiple instruction issue (MII) processors is deciding how many memory ports need to be provided, considering performance and efficiency of the target processor. For an MII processor that exploits instruction-level parallelism (ILP) in non-numerical code, this decision is difficult to make due to its irregularity. The authors perform an empirical study aimed at characterizing a suitable MII organization that best exploits irregular ILP. The study is based on the selective scheduling compiler that performs precise memory disambiguation for concurrent execution of multiple memory operations, along with renaming, speculation, and software pipelining. The result indicates that a small number of memory ports (i.e. less than half of the issue rate) is enough for exploiting most of irregular ILP. The authors also examine related issues such as the utilization of memory ports and additional data cache misses caused by speculative loads. <<ETX>>
Roles of UVA radiation and DNA damage responses in melanoma pathogenesis

The growing incidence of melanoma is a serious public health issue that merits a thorough understanding of potential causative risk factors, which includes exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Though UVR has been classified as a complete carcinogen and has long been recognized for its ability to damage genomic DNA through both direct and indirect means, the precise mechanisms by which the UVA and UVB components of UVR contribute to the pathogenesis of melanoma have not been clearly defined. In this review, we therefore highlight recent studies that have addressed roles for UVA radiation in the generation of DNA damage and in modulating the subsequent cellular responses to DNA damage in melanocytes, which are the cell type that gives rise to melanoma. Recent research suggests that UVA not only contributes to the direct formation of DNA lesions but also impairs the removal of UV photoproducts from genomic DNA through oxidation and damage to DNA repair proteins. Moreover, the melanocyte microenvironment within the epidermis of the skin is also expected to impact melanomagenesis, and we therefore discuss several paracrine signaling pathways that have been shown to impact the DNA damage response in UV‐irradiated melanocytes. Lastly, we examine how alterations to the immune microenvironment by UVA‐associated DNA damage responses may contribute to melanoma development. Thus, there appear to be multiple avenues by which UVA may elevate the risk of melanoma. Protective strategies against excess exposure to UVA wavelengths of light therefore have the potential to decrease the incidence of melanoma. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:438–460, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The end game: Mortality outcomes in North American professional athletes

Comprehensive investigations into the mortality outcomes of elite athletes can assist in decoding risk factors for premature mortality and provide avenues for exploring human health through engagement in sport. As such, the purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine lifespan trends of athletes from the 4 major sports in North America: Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and National Hockey League (NHL). We hypothesized that proportional death rates would be similar across the 4 sports, when standardizing the data by debut years. Overall, 17 523 of 50 515 (34.7%) athletes were deceased as of the respective data collection cutoff date for their sport, with MLB players having the highest risk of imminent mortality. Professional basketball players generally had the highest relative proportion of death when standardizing data by debut year, although NHL and NFL players who debuted after 2005 had the highest proportion of death. In addition, a 1‐year increase in career length significantly decreased the risk of death (HR: 0.982, 95% CI: 0.978‐0.985), even after adjusting for sport type (HR: 0.977, 95% CI: 0.974‐0.980). Meaningful significance should be considered given the historical and unique nature of the sample. Nevertheless, investigating risk of death differences through different occupational and biological variables can help highlight aversive trends to lifespan that permeate throughout high‐performance athlete populations.
Prognostic and predictive role of EGFR pathway alterations in biliary cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and anti-EGFR

The association of anti-EGFR to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) chemotherapy did not improve survival in biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) patients. Multiple mechanisms might be involved in the resistance to anti-EGFR. Here, we explored the mutation profile of EGFR extracellular domain (ECD), of tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), and its amplification status. EGFR mutational status of exons 12, 18–21 was analyzed in 57 tumors by Sanger sequencing. EGFR amplification was evaluated in 37 tumors by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH). Kaplan-Meier curves were calculated using the log-rank test. Six patients had mutations in exon 12 of EGFR ECD and 7 in EGFR TKD. Neither EGFR ECD nor TKD mutations affected progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) in the entire population. In the panitumumab plus GEMOX (P-GEMOX) arm, ECD mutated patients had a worse OS, while EGFR TKD mutated patients had a trend towards shorter PFS and OS. Overall, the presence of mutations in EGFR or in its transducers did not affect PFS or OS, while the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) mutated patients had a worse prognosis compared to WT. Nineteen out of 37 tumors were EGFR amplified, but the amplification did not correlate with survival. ECC EGFR amplified patients had improved OS, whereas the amplification significantly correlated with poor PFS (p = 0.03) in gallbladder carcinoma patients. The high molecular heterogeneity is a predominant feature of BTC: the alterations found in this work seem to have a prognostic impact rather than a predictive role towards anti-EGFR therapy.
EFFECT OF SLIP ON VISCOUS DISSIPATION AND FRICTION NUMBER IN MICRO-TUBES

The effects of the diameter, aspect ratio, slip, and thermal development of laminar water flows on the friction number in micro-tubes are investigated numerically. Results show that the micro-tubes flow is never thermally developed except at low Re and large L/D and D. Apparent slip at the wall of the micro-tubes decreases the friction number with increased L/D and decreased D.
Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and HIV infection: The appropriate therapeutic flow chart is still to be written?

Dear Sir, We read with interest the report of Rosan A van Zoest and colleagues, entitled ‘Suboptimal primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy’. To further unravel the complex management of HIV-positive subjects on antiretroviral therapy, we describe the case of a 47year-old man with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (heFH) and HIV infection referred to our outpatient lipid clinic, in 2014, by the infection disease consultant. Since 2008 the patient was on antiviral therapy with good immune and virological control and no acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining events. At entry, he was diagnosed with heFH for missense mutation on the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene. He had a documented history of statin intolerance; previous lipid-lowering therapy was: atorvastatin 40mg once a day (OD), rosuvastatin 20mg OD, simvastatin/ezetimibe 40/10mg OD. At the cardiovascular assessment, the patient showed subclinical atherosclerotic involvement: treadmill testing was normal, carotid artery Doppler examination revealed increased intimal medial thickness with a 30% stenosis at the bulb bilaterally. The patient baseline lipid profile is shown in Table 1. After re-challenge with atorvastatin 20mg OD to check statin intolerance, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor evolocumab 140mg subcutaneus every two weeks was started. Due to poor evolocumab therapeutic response (14% LDL reduction), LDL-apheresis was added (once every two weeks with dextran-sulphate system (Liposorber-LA systems, Kaneka, USA) and ezetimibe 10mg OD was introduced. To further improve the pre-apheresis patient’s lipid profile, alirocumab 150mg subcutaneous every two weeks was initiated instead of evolocumab. Subsequently monacolin K 10mg OD was added but, due to myopathy, was promptly discontinued and replace with fenofibrate 145mg OD, obtaining the best patient lipid profile (see Table 1 for lipid profile during the different therapeutic approaches). Although the HIV patient’s life expectancy is increased due to antiretroviral therapy, the atherosclerotic burden remains high and difficult to manage, especially when heFH coexists. PCSK9 inhibitors represent a promising approach to lower LDL cholesterol in patients who experience statins intolerance, including subjects with HIV infection, where a lower PCSK9 inhibitor efficiency could occur because of higher circulating PCSK9 levels. In this experience, the combination of the old and new lipid therapeutic armamentarium, has overcome the negative interaction between antiretroviral therapy and statin intolerance, as an example of personalised lipid-lowering therapy.
The effect of low‐volatile organic compounds, water‐based paint on aggravation of allergic disease in schoolchildren

Whether indoor painting aggravates preexisting allergic diseases remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of new classroom painting on aggravation of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), and atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. Studied school was previously painted with conventional water-based paint 20 years ago and had natural ventilation system. We identified a total of 172 children aged 10-12 years with allergic diseases in 17 classrooms, which were allocated to newly painted rooms with low-volatile organic compounds (VOC), water-based paint, or existing rooms. After painting, there was no intervention or internal airflow to influence indoor air environment in both classrooms. We prospectively assessed the symptom severity and serious events of allergic diseases between both classrooms at baseline and after one and eight weeks after painting. At one and eight weeks, there were no significant changes in the Childhood Asthma Control Test scores, the fractional nitric oxide levels, lung function in asthmatic children in either classroom. There were also no significant changes in the severity score of AR or AD, or serious events in all allergic diseases. These findings suggest classroom painting with this new paint at the levels encountered in this study might not be a major aggravating factor for school-aged children with allergic diseases.
Development and Validation of a Spanish Version of the Grit-S Scale

This paper describes the development and initial validation of a Spanish version of the Short Grit (Grit-S) Scale. The Grit-S Scale was adapted and translated into Spanish using the Translation, Review, Adjudication, Pre-testing, and Documentation model and responses to a preliminary set of items from a large sample of university students (N = 1,129). The resultant measure was validated using data from a large stratified random sample of young adults (N = 1,826). Initial validation involved evaluating the internal consistency of the adapted scale and its subscales and comparing the factor structure of the adapted version to that of the original scale. The results were comparable to results from similar analyses of the English version of the scale. Although the internal consistency of the subscales was low, the internal consistency of the full scale was well-within the acceptable range. A two-factor model offered an acceptable account of the data; however, when a single correlated error involving two highly similar items was included, a single factor model fit the data very well. The results support the use of overall scores from the Spanish Grit-S Scale in future research.