Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Craze microstructure from small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS)

Abstract The small-angle x-ray scattering from air crazes in polystyrene (PS) and polycarbonate (PC) as well as from methanol crazes in PS has been measured by using both pinhole-collimated and slit-collimated cameras. Under the normal conditions (x-ray beam in the plane of the craze, craze held under load), the SAXS pattern from all crazed samples consists of a cross through the origin, one very intense streak normal to the craze plane and a second, less intense, streak parallel to the craze plane (perpendicular to the craze fibrils). Tilting experiments reveal that the former streak, which we term the anomalous streak since it is not expected to arise from the known fibril geometry, is a rod in reciprocal space; the rocking curve has a half-width of about 1°. Filling polystyrene crazes with methanol produces a 40 fold decrease in intensity I at a scattering angle 20 of 3 mrad and an increase in slope of the I vs. 2Θ curve at small angles. Since the maximum decrease for any true craze diffraction is give.
Safety of Statins: Focus on Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Drug Interactions

Statin monotherapy is generally well tolerated, with a low frequency of adverse events. The most important adverse effects associated with statins are myopathy and an asymptomatic increase in hepatic transaminases, both of which occur infrequently. Because statins are prescribed on a long-term basis, however, possible interactions with other drugs deserve particular attention, as many patients will typically receive pharmacological therapy for concomitant conditions during the course of statin treatment. This review summarizes the pharmacokinetic properties of statins and emphasizes their clinically relevant drug interactions.
Candida Infections of the Genitourinary Tract

SUMMARY All humans are colonized with Candida species, mostly Candida albicans, yet some develop diseases due to Candida, among which genitourinary manifestations are extremely common. The forms of genitourinary candidiasis are distinct from each other and affect different populations. While vulvovaginal candidiasis affects mostly healthy women, candiduria occurs typically in elderly, hospitalized, or immunocompromised patients and in neonates. Despite its high incidence and clinical relevance, genitourinary candidiasis is understudied, and therefore, important questions about pathogenesis and treatment guidelines remain to be resolved. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about genitourinary candidiasis.
Nanoindentation Characterization of Asphalt Concrete Aging

AbstractAsphalt concrete (AC) consists of coarse aggregate, asphalt binder, and fines. The asphalt binder creates an asphalt film around the coarse aggregate and fines. Fines are trapped inside the binder film, which is also known as mastic. Mastic and aggregate govern most of the mechanical properties of AC. Therefore, researchers have performed various tests on mastic to understand macroscale behavior of AC. Nanomechanical characterization is more appropriate for mastic, as the thinness of mastic is approximately 15–20 μm around an aggregate particle. For this paper, the authors conducted nanoindentation tests on mastic and aggregate as integral parts of AC. In particular, they compared the modulus and hardness of oven-aged mastic and aggregate with those of unaged mastic and aggregate. To deal with the heterogeneity of the mastic part, they made hundreds of indents on the mastic part of each AC sample. On the aggregate part, they made 60 indents to determine the mechanical properties of the aggregate o.
Is protective equipment useful in preventing concussion? A systematic review of the literature

Objective: To determine if there is evidence that equipment use reduces sport concussion risk and/or severity. Data sources: 12 electronic databases were searched using a combination of Medical Subject Headings and text words to identify relevant articles. Review methods: Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select studies for review. Data extracted included design, study population, exposure/outcome measures and results. The quality of evidence was assessed based on epidemiologic criteria regarding internal and external validity (ie, strength of design, sample size/power calculation, selection bias, misclassification bias, control of potential confounding and effect modification). Results: In total, 51 studies were selected for review. A comparison between studies was difficult due to the variability in research designs, definition of concussion, mouthguard/helmet/headgear/face shield types, measurements used to assess exposure and outcomes, and variety of sports assessed. The majority of studies were observational, with 23 analytical epidemiologic designs related to the subject area. Selection bias was a concern in the reviewed studies, as was the lack of measurement and control for potentially confounding variables. Conclusions: There is evidence that helmet use reduces head injury risk in skiing, snowboarding and bicycling, but the effect on concussion risk is inconclusive. No strong evidence exists for the use of mouthguards or face shields to reduce concussion risk. Evidence is provided to suggest that full facial protection in ice hockey may reduce concussion severity, as measured by time loss from competition.
15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 Inhibits Bay 11-7085-induced Sustained Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase Phosphorylation and Apoptosis in Human Articular Chondrocytes and Synovial Fibroblasts*

We have previously shown that nuclear factor-κB inhibition by adenovirus expressing mutated IκB-α or by proteasome inhibitor increases human articular chondrocytes sensibility to apoptosis. Moreover, the nuclear factor-κB inhibitor BAY11-7085, a potent anti-inflammatory drug in rat adjuvant arthritis, is itself a proapoptotic agent for chondrocytes. In this work, we show that BAY 11-7085 but not the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 induced a rapid and sustained phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) in human articular chondrocytes. The level of ERK1/2 phosphorylation correlated with BAY 11-7085 concentration and chondrocyte apoptosis. 15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and its precursor prostaglandin (PG) D2 but not PGE2 and PGF2α rescued chondrocytes from BAY 11-7085-induced apoptosis. 15d-PGJ2 markedly inhibited BAY 11-7085-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2. BAY 11-7085 also induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and apoptosis in human synovial fibroblasts, and these reactions were down-regulated by 15d-PGJ2. Further analysis in synovial fibroblasts showed that only molecules that suppressed BAY 11-7085-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (i.e. 15d-PGJ2, PGD2, and to a lesser extent, MEK1/2 inhibitor UO126, but not prostaglandins E2 and F2α or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonist ciglitazone) were able protect cells from apoptosis. These results suggested that the antiapoptotic effect of 15d-PGJ2 on chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts might involve inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation.
Performance of the Binax NOW Streptococcus pneumoniae Urinary Antigen Assay for Diagnosis of Pneumonia in Children with Underlying Pulmonary Diseases in the Absence of Acute Pneumococcal Infection

ABSTRACT The performance of the Binax NOW immunochromatographic test for detecting Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen in urine specimens from 103 children presenting underlying pulmonary diseases with no recent pneumococcal infection was assessed. Our data indicate that this assay is unlikely to be useful for discriminating between children with and without pneumococcal pneumonia.
Singularity Analysis of 6-PUS Vertical Parallel Mechanism

Different from the general 6-SPS Stewart platform, 6-PUS parallel mechanism is a kind of fully parallel mechanism whose actuators are all fixed at the frame. The advantages of this mechanism are light movable mass, small inertia and good dynamic characteristics. This paper is focused on the singularity analysis of the 6-PUS parallel mechanism. Based on the Jacobian matrix which is derived from the kinematical equation, the analytic singularity locus equations are obtained and the three types singularities of the parallel mechanism are analyzed. Moreover, the position-singularity of the mechanism is discussed through some specific examples.
Power-afterload relation in the failing human ventricle.

Animal studies have shown that the power output of the left ventricle is related to afterload by a bell-shaped curve. Furthermore, the normal ventricle operates at the maximum power point, whereas the diseased ventricle operates off the maximum power point because of increased afterload. We studied this relation in eight patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. A high-fidelity catheter with micromanometer pressure and electromagnetic velocity transducers was used to measure blood pressure and flow velocity in the ascending aorta. The latter was converted into volumetric flow by calibrating with the simultaneously determined thermodilution cardiac output. Ventricular power was calculated by dividing the integral of the aortic blood pressure-flow product by the duration of the cardiac cycle. Intravenous nitroprusside was used to alter afterload and the power-afterload relation was obtained by plotting power against mean aortic blood pressure. In all patients, as blood pressure was lowered initially, the power output of the left ventricle increased. As the dose of nitroprusside was increased further, the total power either plateaued or actually decreased. The averaged power and the mean blood pressure at control were 1.00 +/- 0.62 W and 92 +/- 9.3 mm Hg, respectively. The averaged maximum increase in power with nitroprusside was 22%, to 1.22 +/- 0.73 W, and this occurred at a mean pressure of 80 +/- 8.8 mm Hg. This study showed that the power-afterload relation in the human ventricle has a maximum power point at some intermediate level of afterload, similar to that found in animal studies. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
All Optical Switching Networks With Energy-Efficient Technologies From Components Level to Network Level

The key current challenges for the industrial application of all optical switching networks are energy consumption, transmission rate, spectrum efficiency, and switching throughput. The energy consumption problem is mainly researched in this paper. From the perspective of components and modules, node equipment, and network levels, different enabling technologies are proposed to overcome this problem, which are also evaluated through different experimental demonstrations. First, high-sampling-rate digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and WSS-based ROADM modules are demonstrated as components and modules for energy-efficient all optical switching networks. Then, an all optical transport network test-bed consisting of 10 Pbit/s level all optical switching nodes based on multi-level and multi-planar switching architecture is experimentally demonstrated for the first time, which can reduce power consumption by 43%. A control architecture for energy-efficient all optical switching networks is built with OpenFlow based software defined networking (SDN), and experimental results are given to verify the performance of this control architecture. Finally, we describe an All Optical Networks Innovation (AONI) project in China, which aims to explore transmission, switching, and networking technologies in all optical switching networks, and then two application scenarios are forecast based on the technical breakthroughs of this project.
Succession of Periphytic Microorganisms on Metal and Glass Surfaces in Natural Seawater

Abstract : Stainless steel and glass substrates were exposed to Biscayne Bay (Florida) seawater for several months. Samples were removed at regular intervals and examined for periphytic microorganisms by scanning electron microscopy and by microbiological culture techniques. The purpose of this study is to search for a possible relationship between microbial fouling and corrosion in the marine environment.
No Influence of Indy on Lifespan in Drosophila after Correction for Genetic and Cytoplasmic Background Effects

To investigate whether alterations in mitochondrial metabolism affect longevity in Drosophila melanogaster, we studied lifespan in various single gene mutants, using inbred and outbred genetic backgrounds. As positive controls we included the two most intensively studied mutants of Indy, which encodes a Drosophila Krebs cycle intermediate transporter. It has been reported that flies heterozygous for these Indy mutations, which lie outside the coding region, show almost a doubling of lifespan. We report that only one of the two mutants lowers mRNA levels, implying that the lifespan extension observed is not attributable to the Indy mutations themselves. Moreover, neither Indy mutation extended lifespan in female flies in any genetic background tested. In the original genetic background, only the Indy mutation associated with altered RNA expression extended lifespan in male flies. However, this effect was abolished by backcrossing into standard outbred genetic backgrounds, and was associated with an unidentified locus on the X chromosome. The original Indy line with long-lived males is infected by the cytoplasmic symbiont Wolbachia, and the longevity of Indy males disappeared after tetracycline clearance of this endosymbiont. These findings underscore the critical importance of standardisation of genetic background and of cytoplasm in genetic studies of lifespan, and show that the lifespan extension previously claimed for Indy mutants was entirely attributable to confounding variation from these two sources. In addition, we saw no effects on lifespan of expression knockdown of the Indy orthologues nac-2 and nac-3 in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Genes and speciation

It is only in the past five years that studies of speciation have truly entered the molecular era. Recent molecular analyses of a handful of genes that are involved in maintaining reproductive isolation between species (speciation genes) have provided some striking insights. In particular, it seems that despite being strongly influenced by positive selection, speciation genes are often non-essential, having functions that are only loosely coupled to reproductive isolation. Molecular studies might also resolve the long-running debate on the relative importance of allopatric and parapatric modes of speciation.
Advancements in Transmitters and Sensors for Biological Tissue Imaging in Magnetic Induction Tomography

Magnetic Induction Tomography (MIT), which is also known as Electromagnetic Tomography (EMT) or Mutual Inductance Tomography, is among the imaging modalities of interest to many researchers around the world. This noninvasive modality applies an electromagnetic field and is sensitive to all three passive electromagnetic properties of a material that are conductivity, permittivity and permeability. MIT is categorized under the passive imaging family with an electrodeless technique through the use of excitation coils to induce an electromagnetic field in the material, which is then measured at the receiving side by sensors. The aim of this review is to discuss the challenges of the MIT technique and summarize the recent advancements in the transmitters and sensors, with a focus on applications in biological tissue imaging. It is hoped that this review will provide some valuable information on the MIT for those who have interest in this modality. The need of this knowledge may speed up the process of adopted of MIT as a medical imaging technology.
Dominant Substrate Noise Coupling Mechanism for Multiple Switching Gates

The dominant substrate noise coupling mechanism is determined for multiple switching gates based on a physically intuitive model. The model exhibits reasonable accuracy as compared to SPICE. The regions where ground coupling and source/drain coupling dominate are described based on this model. The impact of multiple parameters such as the rise time, number of switching gates, decoupling capacitance, and parasitic inductance on the dominant noise coupling mechanism is investigated. The dominance of ground coupling in large scale circuits, as generally assumed, is shown to be invalid if sufficient decoupling capacitance is used or the circuit exhibits a low parasitic inductance such as a flip-chip package. The efficacy of several noise reduction techniques is discussed based on the application of the dominant noise analysis model.
Enhanced fibrinolytic protease production by Serratia marcescens RSPB11 through Plackett-Burman and response surface methodological approaches -

A well characterized alkaline metalloprotease enzyme called serralysin with fibrinolytic activity has been reported in the newly isolated Serratia marcescens RSPB11. In view of its potential application in thrombolytic therapy this study has been made for understanding the nutritional parameters requirement needed for production. Therefore, medium components required for the production of serralysin were optimized using a two step statistical approach. Fermentation variables were selected in accordance with the Plackett-Burman design and were further optimized via response surface methodological approach. A total of seven parameters viz., casein, dextrose, KH2PO4, MgSO4, NaCl, CaCl2 and inoculum have been considered for the optimization studies. The statistical model was constructed via central composite design (CCD) using five screened variables (casein, dextrose, KH2PO4, CaCl2 and inoculum size). An overall 51.8% increase in protease production was achieved in the optimized medium as compared with the unoptimized casein medium.With the application of statistical design methodology serralysin production increased significantly with optimized casein medium (23910 U/ml) when compared to yeast extract-peptone medium (5363 U/ml).
Prospects and challenges of CRISPR/Cas genome editing for the study and control of neglected vector‐borne nematode diseases

Neglected tropical diseases caused by parasitic nematodes inflict an immense health and socioeconomic burden throughout much of the developing world. Current estimates indicate that more than two billion people are infected with nematodes, resulting in the loss of 14 million disability‐adjusted life years per annum. Although these parasites cause significant mortality, they primarily cause chronic morbidity through a wide range of severe clinical ailments. Treatment options for nematode infections are restricted to a small number of anthelmintic drugs, and the rapid expansion of anthelmintic mass drug administration raises concerns of drug resistance. Preservation of existing drugs is necessary, as well as the development of new treatment options and methods of control. We focus this review on how the democratization of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology can be enlisted to improve our understanding of the biology of nematode parasites and our ability to treat the infections they cause. We will first explore how this robust method of genome manipulation can be used to newly exploit the powerful model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans for parasitology research. We will then discuss potential avenues to develop CRISPR/Cas9 editing protocols in filarial nematodes. Lastly, we will propose potential ways in which CRISPR/Cas9 can be used to engineer gene drives that target the transmission of mosquito‐borne filarial nematodes.
Filamentous Bulking in Activated Sludge, Control of

Well-Settling Activated Sludge Activated Sludge Separation Problems Basic Selection Mechanisms for Filamentous Bulking Control Application of Bulking Control Principles to the Design and Operation of Activated Sludge Plants Nonspecific Bulking Control Methods Notation Keywords: activated sludge; bulking of activated sludge; bulking control; filamentous bacteria; wastewater treatment
Immunoregulation by Taenia crassiceps and Its Antigens

Taenia crassiceps is a cestode parasite of rodents (in its larval stage) and canids (in its adult stage) that can also parasitize immunocompromised humans. We have studied the immune response elicited by this helminth and its antigens in mice and human cells, and have discovered that they have a strong capacity to induce chronic Th2-type responses that are primarily characterized by high levels of Th2 cytokines, low proliferative responses in lymphocytes, an immature and LPS-tolerogenic profile in dendritic cells, the recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and, specially, alternatively activated macrophages. We also have utilized the immunoregulatory capabilities of this helminth to successfully modulate autoimmune responses and the outcome of other infectious diseases. In the present paper, we review the work of others and ourselves with regard to the immune response induced by T. crassiceps and its antigens, and we compare the advances in our understanding of this parasitic infection model with the knowledge that has been obtained from other selected models.
Analysis of Zhuzhou Energy Efficiency Based on DEA

Energy issues have always become the major problem of the world. Energy efficiency has become a national energy strategy. As the old industrial city, Zhuzhou has a huge demand to energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the process of industrialization. Firstly, energy efficiencys concept was introduced, then propose Zhuzhou energy efficiency influencing factors, finally, this paper measures Zhuzhou energy efficiency based on data envelopment analysis (DEA ) method, It hopes that the scientific evaluation could provide theoretical and practical support for the decision.
Behavioral and electrophysiological analysis of general anesthesia in 3 background strains of Drosophila melanogaster

General anesthetics achieve behavioral unresponsiveness via a mechanism that is incompletely understood. The study of genetic model systems such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is crucial to advancing our understanding of how anesthetic drugs render animals unresponsive. Previous studies have shown that wild-type control strains differ significantly in their sensitivity to general anesthetics, which potentially introduces confounding factors for comparing genetic mutations placed on these wild-type backgrounds. Here, we examined a variety of behavioral and electrophysiological endpoints in Drosophila, in both adult and larval animals. We characterized these endpoints in 3 commonly used fly strains: wild-type Canton Special (CS), and 2 commonly used white-eyed strains, isoCJ1 and w1118. We found that CS and isoCJ1 show remarkably similar sensitivity to isoflurane across a variety of behavioral and electrophysiological endpoints. In contrast, w1118 is resistant to isoflurane compared to the other 2 strains at both the adult and larval stages. This resistance is however not reflected at the level of neurotransmitter release at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This suggests that the w1118 strain harbors another mutation that produces isoflurane resistance, by acting on an arousal pathway that is most likely preserved between larval and adult brains. This mutation probably also affects sleep, as marked differences between isoCJ1 and w1118 have also recently been found for behavioral responsiveness and sleep intensity measures.