Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remediating tar-contaminated soils at manufactured gas plant sites.

P rior to the widespread use of natural gas, combustible gas manufac tured from coke, coal, and oil served as the major gaseous fuel for urban heating, cooking, and lighting in the United States for nearly 100 years (1). This manufactured gas, or town gas, was produced at some 1000 to 2000 plants. Pipeline distribution of natural gas following World War II replaced manufactured gas as the major gaseous fuel, and as a result manufactured gas production came to an end in the 1950s {2). Today, soil and groundwater contamination problems exist at many former manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites because of prior process operations and residuals management practices [3). Residuals that were produced in MGP processes are summarized in Table 1 for the three primary gas production methods: coal carbonization, carbureted water gas production, and oil gas production. These process residuals are dominated by six pr imary classes of chemicals: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile aromatic compounds, phenolics, inorganic compounds of sulfur and nitrogen, and metals. Tar residuals were produced from the volatile component of bituminous coals in coal carbonization, from the residue of gasifying oils in oil gas processes, and from the cracking of enriching oils used to increase gas Btu content in carbureted water gas production.
Adenosine A2A Agonist Administration Improves Islet Transplant Outcome: Evidence for the Role of Innate Immunity in Islet Graft Rejection

Activation of adenosine A2A receptors inhibits inflammation in ischemia/reperfusion injury, and protects against cell damage at the injury site. Following transplantation 50% of islets die due to inflammation and apoptosis. This study investigated the effects of adenosine A2A receptor agonists (ATL146e and ATL313) on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in vitro and transplanted murine syngeneic islet function in vivo. Compared to vehicle controls, ATL146e (100 nM) decreased insulin stimulation index [SI, (insulin)high glucose/(insulin)low glucose] (2.36 ± 0.22 vs. 3.75 ± 0.45; n = 9; p < 0.05). Coculture of islets with syngeneic leukocytes reduced SI (1.41 ± 0.17; p < 0.05), and this was restored by ATL treatment (2.57 ± 0.18; NS). Addition of a selective A2AAR antagonist abrogated ATL's protective effect, reducing SI (1.11 ± 0.42). ATL treatment of A2AAR+/+ islet/A2AAR-/- leukocyte cocultures failed to protect islet function (SI), implicating leukocytes as likely targets of A2AAR agonists. Diabetic recipient C57BL/6 mice (streptozotocin; 250 mg/kg, IP) received islet transplants to either the renal subcapsular or hepatic-intraportal site. Recipient mice receiving ATL therapy (ATL 146e or ATL313, 60 ng/kg/min, IP) achieved normoglycemia more rapidly than untreated recipients. Histological examination of grafts suggested reduced cellular necrosis, fibrosis, and lymphocyte infiltration in agonist-treated animals. Administration of adenosine A2A receptor agonists (ATL146e or ATL313) improves in vitro GSIS by an effect on leukocytes, and improves survival and functional engraftment of transplanted islets by inhibiting inflammatory islet damage in the peritransplant period, suggesting a potentially significant new strategy for reducing inflammatory islet loss in clinical transplantation.
Impact of early intervention on outcome after mild traumatic brain injury in children.

OBJECTIVE The impact of mild head injury or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children is variable, and determinants of outcome remain poorly understood. There have been no previous attempts to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve outcome. Results of previous intervention studies in adults have been mixed. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of providing information on outcome measured in terms of reported symptoms, cognitive performance, and psychological adjustment in children 3 months after injury. METHODS A total of 61 children with mild TBI were assessed 1 week and 3 months after injury, and 58 children with mild TBI were assessed 3 months after injury only. They were compared with 2 control groups (N = 45 and 47) of children with minor injuries not involving the head. Participants completed measures of preinjury behavior and psychological adjustment, postconcussion symptoms, and tests of attention, speed of information processing, and memory. Children with mild TBI seen at 1 week were also given an information booklet outlining symptoms associated with mild TBI and suggested coping strategies. Those seen 3 months after injury only did not receive this booklet. RESULTS Children with mild TBI reported more symptoms than controls at 1 week but demonstrated no impairment on neuropsychological measures. Initial symptoms had resolved for most children by 3 months after injury, but a small group of children who had previous head injury or a history of learning or behavioral difficulties reported ongoing problems. The group not seen at 1 week and not given the information booklet reported more symptoms overall and was more stressed 3 months after injury. CONCLUSIONS Providing an information booklet reduces anxiety and thereby lowers the incidence of ongoing problems.
Sex‐specific reaction norms to intraspecific larval competition in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

As the relationship between a given life‐history trait and fitness is not necessarily the same for the two sexes, an ‘intersexual ontogenetic conflict’ may arise. We analysed the phenotypic reaction to intraspecific larval competition of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, asking: (i) Do both sexes pay the cost of competition with the same life‐history traits and are they equal competitors? (ii) Is there a specific cost of competition beyond sharing food resources? We found that competition incurs a specific cost that was expressed differently by the two sexes. Indeed, each sex maintained the more important life‐history trait(s) for their fitness (developmental time for males and body weight and size for females) at the expense of other traits, thus minimizing the effects of competition on their fitness. The competition exerted by females was estimated as being more intense, probably linked with the greater importance of body size for their fitness.
3D model retrieval using the 2D Poisson equation

3D Model Retrieval is one of the most popular topics in computer vision and huge efforts are dedicated to finding a way to improve retrieval accuracy. Defining a new efficient and effective way to describe 3D models plays a critical role in the retrieval process. In this paper we propose a view-based shape signature to search and retrieve 3D objects using the 2D Poisson equation. Our proposed method uses 60 different 2D silhouettes, which are automatically extracted from different view-angles of 3D models. Solving the Poisson equation for each Silhouette assigns a number to each pixel as the pixel's signature. Counting and accumulating these pixel signatures generates a histogram-based signature for each silhouette (Silhouette Poisson Histogram or simply SilPH). By doing some preprocessing steps one can see that the signature is insensitive to rotation, scaling and translation. The results show a high power of discrimination on the McGill dataset and demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other existing methods.
1,25‐Dihydroxyvitamin D3 and Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Growth

Recent studies from several laboratories have shown perturbations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] metabolism in hypertension. While these perturbations may exert their effect on blood pressure via their actions on calcium metabolism, it is possible that this vitamin D metabolite may have direct effects on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) physiology. To examine this, we studied the effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on VSMC growth and found that this substance suppressed VSMC [3H]thymidine uptake; furthermore, this vitamin D metabolite also suppressed the stimulatory effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on VSMC proliferation. The concomitant presence of this substance appeared to be required for its action on VSMC growth since cells pretreated with the vitamin D metabolite for up to 72 hours and then washed of the substance grew normally and responded to EGF. Studies were also done to determine if 1,25(OH)2D3 had any effect on the function of EGF receptors on VSMC. Experiments using Iodine-125-labeled EGF showed no differences in the binding of this ligand to VSMC, either untreated or treated with 1,25(OH)2D3, which indicates the effect of the vitamin D metabolite on VSMC growth (when exposed to EGF) was not mediated by an alteration of EGF receptor function. The results of these studies have implications for the pathogenesis of vascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Oxidative damage and cell signaling transduction in patients of chronic myeloid leukemia.

长期的 myeloid 白血病(电流型逻辑) 是显示出一致地与 chromosomal 畸形被联系的第一人的恶意，费城染色体。 在基因水平，费城染色体是染色体上的裂缝的结果 9 和 22 与远侧的基因材料的相互的 translocation。 这 translocation 形成新混合 BCR-ABL oncogene，编码 210-kDa 熔化蛋白质的反常 8.5-kb RNA，它，大概通过它的增加的酷氨酸 kinase 活动，把正常造血的房间变成电流型逻辑房间[1 ] 。
Tradeoffs in Processing Complex Join Queries via Hashing in Multiprocessor Database Machines

In this paper we examine the problem of processing multi-way join queries (on the order of 10 joins) through hash-based join methods in a shared-nothing database machine. We first discuss how the choice of a format for a complex query can significantly affect performance in a multiprocessor database machine. Several query processing algorithms are then proposed and experimental results obtained from a simulation study are presented to demonstrate the tradeoffs of left-deep and right-deep scheduling strategies for complex join query evaluation. These results demonstrate that right-deep scheduling strategies can provi& significant performance advantages in large multiprocessor database machines under many circumstances, even when memory is limited.
A case of mistaken identity? GRB 060912A and the nature of the long–short GRB divide

We investigate the origin of the GRB 060912A, which has observational properties that make its classification as either a long or short burst ambiguous. Short duration GRBs (SGRBs) are thought to have typically lower energies than long duration bursts, can be found in galaxies with populations of all ages and are likely to originate from different progenitors to the long duration bursts. However, it has become clear that duration alone is insufficient to make a distinction between t two populations in many cases, leading to a desire to find additional discriminators of burst type. GRB 060912A had a duration of 6 s and occurred only � 10 ′′ from a bright, low redshift (z = 0.0936) elliptical galaxy, suggesting that this may have been the host, which would favour it being a short-burst. However, our deep optical imaging and spectroscopy of the location of GRB 060912A using the VLT shows that GRB 060912A more likely originates in a distant star forming galaxy at z = 0.937, and is most likely a long burst. This demonstrates the risk in identifying bright, nearby galaxies as the hosts of given GRBs without further supporting evidence. Further, it implies that, in the absence of secure identifications, “host” type, or more broadly discriminators which rely on galaxy redshifts, may not be good indicators of the true nature of any given GRB.
“PRESS START”: POSSIBILIDADES EDUCATIVAS DOS JOGOS ELETRÔNICOS

This research has as questions of departure: how the phenomenon of the electronic games is understood by the researchers of the areas of the Education and the Physical Education in Brazil? Which are the perceived educative possibilities of the electronic games in these areas? As result, we can say that the analyzed texts have ample approach, however little deepening the diverse questions raised from them. The authors point that the electronic games can be used in the schools. However, diverse barriers, as the formation of the teachers, and the technological resources of the schools, will have to be won.
Supporting Online Material Materials and Methods Figs. S1 to S3 Tables S1 and S2 References Plant Genotypic Diversity Predicts Community Structure and Governs an Ecosystem Process

for their help with carrying out genotyping and genetics; M. Bernardet, M. Cruzan, and J. Leneveu for their help in the field; and G. Hewitt for helping to initiate this project. Theory predicts, and recent empirical studies have shown, that the diversity of plant species determines the diversity of associated herbivores and mediates ecosystem processes, such as aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). However, an often-overlooked component of plant diversity, namely population genotypic diversity, may also have wide-ranging effects on community structure and ecosystem processes. We showed experimentally that increasing population genotypic diversity in a dominant old-field plant species, Solidago altissima, determined arthropod diversity and community structure and increased ANPP. The effects of genotypic diversity on arthropod diversity and ANPP were comparable to the effects of plant species diversity measured in other studies. E cological theory (1, 2) and field experiments (3, 4) have revealed a positive relationship between the diversity of plant species and the diversity of associated consumers. At least two mechanisms might explain this pattern. First, because approximately 90% of herbivorous insects exhibit some degree of host specialization (5), as plant species richness increases , so should the number of associated herbivore species. This resource specialization hypothesis has some theoretical support (1, 2, 6). Second, if aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) increases as plant species richness increases (7), then more herbivore individuals, and therefore more species, will be supported by increases in available energy (this has been called the more individuals hypothesis) (8). An increase in the number of herbivore species by either of these mechanisms should support more predator species (9). Recent studies have shown that population genotypic diversity, like plant species diversity, can have extended consequences for communities and ecosystems (10–14). However, no studies to date have explicitly linked intraspecific genotypic diversity, the structure of associated communities, and the potential mechanisms driving these patterns , such as energy availability. This paucity of studies exists despite numerous calls for such research within the literature regarding biodiversity-ecosystem function (7, 15). We tested whether host-plant genotypic diversity determines the structure of associated arthropod communities and governs an ecosystem process, ANPP, that influences arthropod species richness. We manipulated the plot-level genotypic diversity (the number of genotypes per plot) of Solidago altissima, tall goldenrod, a common perennial plant throughout eastern North Amer-ica. Twenty-one S. altissima ramets were collected from local S. altissima patches growing in fields near the study site, and …
CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in the osteoblast regulates the mesenchymal stem cell and osteoclast lineage populations

The chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 play a key role in regulation of hematopoietic stem cells and cell migratory function during morphogenesis. Osteoblasts express both the ligand and the receptor, but little is known about the role of CXCL12‐CXCR4 signaling in maintaining skeletal homeostasis. Using Cre‐Lox technology to delete CXCR4 in mature osteoblasts in mice, we show here a significant decrease in bone mass and alterations in cancellous bone structure. CXCR4 gene ablation increased the number of colony‐forming units (CFU), CFU‐positive for alkaline phosphatase (CFU‐AP+), and mineralizing nodules in bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) cultures. The adipocyte precursor population decreased in BMSCs harvested from the KO animals. The nonadherent population of BMSCs harvested from the long bone diaphysis of KO animals formed more osteoclasts, a finding that was associated with increased circulatory levels of pyridinoline, a marker of bone resorption. Our data show that osteoblast‐specific CXCR4 deletion has profound effects on the mesenchymal stem cell pool and allocation to the osteoblastic and adipocytic cell lineages. They also show that CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in the mature osteoblast can feedback to regulate the osteoclast precursor pool size and play a multifunctional role in regulating bone formation and resorption. —Shahnazari, M. , Chu, V. , Wronski, T. J., Nissenson, R. A. , Halloran, B. P., CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in the osteoblast regulates the mesenchymal stem cell and osteoclast lineage populations. FASEB J. 27, 3505–3513 (2013). www.fasebj. org
A Brave New E-World? An Exploratory Analysis of Worldwide E-Government Readiness, Level of Democracy, Corruption and Globalization

This paper reports research results on the relationship between e-government readiness and its components and the level of democracy, corruption, and globalization for 191 countries. A supply-side approach to e-government analysis using data about national government Web sites, telecommunication infrastructure, and human capital was taken rather than a demand-side approach, which is based on the real use of e-government Web sites by citizens, businesses, and government, or their perceptions of the online services delivery. Statistically significant differences in the level of e-government readiness and its components between three groups of countries classified according to the level of democracy were identified using ANOVA. It was also shown, using correlation and regression analysis, that e-government readiness indices are related to the level of democracy, corruption, and globalization.
SUPER: Towards the use of Social Sensors for Security Assessments and Proactive Management of Emergencies

Social media statistics during recent disasters (e.g. the 20 million tweets relating to 'Sandy' storm and the sharing of related photos in Instagram at a rate of 10/sec) suggest that the understanding and management of real-world events by civil protection and law enforcement agencies could benefit from the effective blending of social media information into their resilience processes. In this paper, we argue that despite the widespread use of social media in various domains (e.g. marketing/branding/finance), there is still no easy, standardized and effective way to leverage different social media streams -- also referred to as social sensors -- in security/emergency management applications. We also describe the EU FP7 project SUPER (Social sensors for secUrity assessments and Proactive EmeRgencies management), started in 2014, which aims to tackle this technology gap.
Development of behavioral sensitization to cocaine: influence of kappa opioid receptor agonists.

The effects of acute or repeated administrations of the selective kappa opioid receptor agonists U-69593 and U-50488H on cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation were examined in the rat. Acute administration of cocaine (10-30 mg/kg i.p.) produced a dose-dependent increase in locomotor activity. A single injection of U-69593 (0.04-0.32 mg/kg s.c.) or U-50488H (2.5-7.5 mg/kg s.c.) administered 15 min before cocaine did not modify the effects of an acute cocaine challenge. In contrast, repeated administration of U-69593 or U-50488H in combination with saline for 3 days prevented the acute locomotor-activating effects of cocaine. Repeated administration of cocaine (10-30 mg/kg i.p.) for 3 days resulted in an enhancement of its locomotor-activating effects, i.e., sensitization. No such sensitized responses were observed in animals that had received U-69593 or U-50488H in combination with the cocaine treatment regimen. Repeated administration of U-69593 (0.16 mg/kg s.c.) for 3 days failed to block the acute locomotor-activating effects of nicotine (0.6 mg/kg s.c.). Furthermore, when U-69593 was given in combination with nicotine, sensitized motor responses to a subsequent nicotine challenge were still observed. These data demonstrate that the repeated activation of kappa opioid receptors prevents the locomotor activation that occurs in response to an acute cocaine challenge as well as the sensitized motor responses that develop after the repeated administration of cocaine.
Sparse activity of identified dentate granule cells during spatial exploration

In the dentate gyrus – a key component of spatial memory circuits – granule cells (GCs) are known to be morphologically diverse and to display heterogeneous activity profiles during behavior. To resolve structure–function relationships, we juxtacellularly recorded and labeled single GCs in freely moving rats. We found that the vast majority of neurons were silent during exploration. Most active GCs displayed a characteristic spike waveform, fired at low rates and showed spatial activity. Primary dendritic parameters were sufficient for classifying neurons as active or silent with high accuracy. Our data thus support a sparse coding scheme in the dentate gyrus and provide a possible link between structural and functional heterogeneity among the GC population. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.20252. 001
Prevention and Intervention Strategies to Alleviate Preoperative Anxiety in Children

Preoperative anxiety (anxiety regarding impending surgical experience) in children is a common phenomenon that has been associated with a number of negative behaviors during the surgery experience (e.g., agitation, crying, spontaneous urination, and the need for physical restraint during anesthetic induction). Preoperative anxiety has also been associated with the display of a number of maladaptive behaviors postsurgery, including postoperative pain, sleeping disturbances, parent-child conflict, and separation anxiety. For these reasons, researchers have sought out interventions to treat or prevent childhood preoperative anxiety and possibly decrease the development of negative behaviors postsurgery. Such interventions include sedative premedication, parental presence during anesthetic induction, behavioral preparation programs, music therapy, and acupuncture. The present article reviews the existing research on the various modes of intervention for preoperative anxiety in children. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
Effects of Personal and Political Distractions on Correct Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections

Correct voting (Lau and Redlawsk 1997) posits that vote choice can be evaluated in terms of its ‘quality,’ or the extent to which it aligns with an individual’s own fully-informed preferences, values, and priorities. Lau, Andersen, and Redlawsk (2008) further conclude that one’s ability to vote correctly is affected by both individual-level variables — including cognitive capacity, political motivation, and availability of political heuristics — as well as system-level factors such as the nature of the information environment during a given election. This paper adds measures of personal and political distraction to Lau, et al’s 2008 analysis in order to determine the extent to which competing cognitive demands impede an individual’s ability to vote correctly in a presidential election. We hypothesize, generally, that indicators of economic, family, and political distractions in a respondent’s life will lead to a lower likelihood of voting correctly. We find that, while certain family-related distractions do negatively affect correct voting, both economic and political distractions can actually increase the probability of casting a correct vote.
Image Segmentation by Phase Label Diffusion

We present a neural network for image segmentation incorporating a phase diiusion process which labels the whole scene into its constituent objects and the background. The image is processed in three successive stages copying the design of visual cortical mechanisms. The rst two stages extract direction speciic contours in the image which are used as starting points for the local phase diiusion process.