Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spring blooms in the Baltic Sea have weakened but lengthened from 2000 to 2014

Abstract. Phytoplankton spring bloom phenology was derived from a 15-year time series (2000–2014) of ship-of-opportunity chlorophyll a fluorescence observations collected in the Baltic Sea through the Alg@line network. Decadal trends were analysed against inter-annual variability in bloom timing and intensity, and environmental drivers (nutrient concentration, temperature, radiation level, wind speed). Spring blooms developed from the south to the north, with the first blooms peaking mid-March in the Bay of Mecklenburg and the latest bloom peaks occurring mid-April in the Gulf of Finland. Bloom duration was similar between sea areas (43 ± 2 day), except for shorter bloom duration in the Bay of Mecklenburg (36 ± 11 day). Variability in bloom timing increased towards the south. Bloom peak chlorophyll a concentrations were highest (and most variable) in the Gulf of Finland (20.2 ± 5.7 mg m−3) and the Bay of Mecklenburg (12.3 ± 5.2 mg m−3). Bloom peak chlorophyll a concentration showed a negative trend of −0.31 ± 0.10 mg m−3 yr−1. Trend-agnostic distribution-based (Weibull-type) bloom metrics showed a positive trend in bloom duration of 1.04 ± 0.20 day yr−1, which was not found with any of the threshold-based metrics. The Weibull bloom metric results were considered representative in the presence of bloom intensity trends. Bloom intensity was mainly determined by winter nutrient concentration, while bloom timing and duration co-varied with meteorological conditions. Longer blooms corresponded to higher water temperature, more intense solar radiation, and lower wind speed. It is concluded that nutrient reduction efforts led to decreasing bloom intensity, while changes in Baltic Sea environmental conditions associated with global change corresponded to a lengthening spring bloom period.
Effect of trait anxiety and gender difference on risk-avoidant in decision-making in 316 college students

Objective:To explore the relationship of trait anxiety,gender difference and risk averse.Methods:A test was conducted firstly in 328 college students with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.The participants with a score≥ 53 were termed as high trait-anxiety group(N=30),in contrast to the former,the participants with a score ≤ 30 were treated as the low trait-anxiety(N=30). The material was 10 hypothesized risk settings,asking the participants to do decision-making,at the same time,the participants were also required to access their subjective cost if the result of their decision was negative;recording the scores and the reaction time of the participants.Results:The risk-avoidant score in high trait-anxiety group was significantly higher than that in low trait-anxiety group [(5.97±1.53) vs.(3.27±1.25),P0.01],and the risk-avoidant score in males was significantly higher than that in females [(2.78±1.37) vs.(6.46±1.26),P0.01]. There also had significant interaction effects between the 2 variables(F= 7.43,P0.01). The reaction time in males was also longer than that in females [high-trait anxiety:(1586.47±10.352) vs.(1067.52±18.468);low-trait anxiety:(643.46±36.759) vs.(498.36±9.673);P0.01]. The correlation between subjective loss and trait-anxiety in females was higher than that in males(Z=2.15,P0.05). Conclusion:There is significant effect of trait-anxiety and gender difference on risk-avoidant decision-making.The high-trait and female individuals have more risk-avoidant in decision-making.
Generation of induced cardiac progenitor cells via somatic reprogramming

It has been demonstrated that cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) represent a more effective cell-based therapy for treatment of myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, their therapeutic application is limited by low yield of cell harvesting, declining quality and quantity during the ageing process, and the need for highly invasive heart biopsy. Therefore, there is an emerging interest in generating CPC-like stem cells from somatic cells via somatic reprogramming. This novel approach would provide an unlimited source of stem cells with cardiac differentiation potential. Here we would firstly discuss the different types of CPC and their importance in stem cell therapy for treatment of myocardial infarction; secondly, the necessity of generating induced CPC from somatic cells via somatic reprogramming; and finally the current progress of somatic reprogramming in cardiac cells, especially induced CPC generation.
Multitasking During Degraded Speech Recognition in School-Age Children

Multitasking requires individuals to allocate their cognitive resources across different tasks. The purpose of the current study was to assess school-age children’s multitasking abilities during degraded speech recognition. Children (8 to 12 years old) completed a dual-task paradigm including a sentence recognition (primary) task containing speech that was either unprocessed or noise-band vocoded with 8, 6, or 4 spectral channels and a visual monitoring (secondary) task. Children’s accuracy and reaction time on the visual monitoring task was quantified during the dual-task paradigm in each condition of the primary task and compared with single-task performance. Children experienced dual-task costs in the 6- and 4-channel conditions of the primary speech recognition task with decreased accuracy on the visual monitoring task relative to baseline performance. In all conditions, children’s dual-task performance on the visual monitoring task was strongly predicted by their single-task (baseline) performance on the task. Results suggest that children’s proficiency with the secondary task contributes to the magnitude of dual-task costs while multitasking during degraded speech recognition.
Supervising Counselors-in-Training Through a Developmental, Narrative Model

ABSTRACT The developmental narrative model (DNM) to supervision introduces a creative postmodern supervision approach designed to increase counselor-in-training competency through counselor awareness, the use of storying, and a commitment to social advocacy. This collaborative supervision model pulls from narrative therapy and incorporates the developmental needs of counselors-in-training through the integrated developmental model. The purpose of this article is threefold: (a) review the major tenets of DNM supervision, (b) present the supervisors’ role within the approach, and (c) identify strengths and limitations of the DNM model in action.
A 97 , 043841 ( 2018 ) Topological photonic orbital-angular-momentum switch

Xi-Wang Luo,1,2 Chuanwei Zhang,2,* Guang-Can Guo,1,3 and Zheng-Wei Zhou1,3,† 1Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China 2Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080-3021, USA 3Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
Best ways to provide feedback to radiologists on mammography performance.

OBJECTIVE The Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 required a minimum performance audit of radiologists performing mammography. Since then, no studies have evaluated radiologists' perceptions of their audit reports, such as which performance measures are the most or least useful, or what the best formats are to present performance data. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a qualitative study with focus groups and interviews of 25 radiologists currently practicing mammography. All radiologists practiced at one of three sites in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC). The discussion guide included open-ended questions to elicit opinions on the following subjects: the most useful performance outcome measures, examples of reports and formats that are easiest to understand (e.g., graphs or tables), thoughts about comparisons between individual-level and aggregate data, and ideas about additional performance measures they would find useful. All discussions were tape-recorded and transcribed. We developed a set of themes and used ethnographic software to qualitatively analyze and extract quotes from transcripts. RESULTS Radiologists thought that almost all performance measures were useful. They particularly liked seeing individual data presented in graphic form with a national benchmark or guideline for each performance measure clearly marked on the graph. They appreciated comparisons between their individual data and their peers' data (within their facility or state) and requested comparisons with national data (such as the BCSC). Many thought customizable, Web-based reports would be useful. CONCLUSION Radiologists think that most audit statistics are useful; however, presenting performance data graphically with clear benchmarks may make them easier to understand.
Accuracy analysis of different modeling schemes in indoor visible light communications with distributed array sources

Channel modeling is a vital issue in visible light communications (VLC) system design. Up to now, at least four channel modeling schemes are widely utilized in analysis of VLC multipath transmission characteristic, i.e. the line-of-sight (LOS), single reflection, multiple reflections and integrating-sphere (IS) modeling schemes, which contain obviously different channel components. However, the accuracy and difference of these schemes have never been investigated sufficiently. This article first compares the specific performance of the schemes within a typical indoor scenario with distributed sources. The results show that first two deterministic schemes and IS scheme underestimate about 0.67~1.67 dBm power from wall reflection, which account for about 16%~40% of summed received signal power. This truncation can lead to part missing impulse response information and more than 20MHz overestimation of channel transmission bandwidth. In the room center, the bandwidth deviation is up about 60MHz.
Pseudorandom dynamics of frequency combs in free-running quantum cascade lasers

Abstract. Recent research has shown that free-running quantum cascade lasers are capable of producing frequency combs in midinfrared and THz regions of the spectrum. Unlike familiar frequency combs originating from mode-locked lasers, these do not require any additional optical elements inside the cavity and have temporal characteristics that are dramatically different from the periodic pulse train of conventional combs. Frequency combs from quantum cascade lasers are characterized by the absence of sharp pulses and strong frequency modulation, periodic with the cavity round trip time but lacking any periodicity within that period. To explicate for this seemingly perplexing behavior, we develop a model of the gain medium using optical Bloch equations that account for hole burning in spectral, spatial, and temporal domains. With this model, we confirm that the most efficient mode of operation of a free-running quantum cascade laser is indeed a pseudorandom frequency-modulated field with nearly constant intensity. We show that the optimum modulation period is commensurate with the gain recovery time of the laser medium and the optimum modulation amplitude is comparable to the gain bandwidth, behavior that has been observed in the experiments.
Teneurin-4 Is a Novel Regulator of Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelination of Small-Diameter Axons in the CNS

Myelination is essential for proper functioning of the CNS. In this study, we have identified a mouse mutation, designated furue, which causes tremors and hypomyelination in the CNS, particularly in the spinal cord, but not in the sciatic nerve of the PNS. In the spinal cord of the furue mice, myelination of small-diameter axons was dramatically reduced, and differentiation of oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells in the CNS, was inhibited. We subsequently found that the furue mutation was associated with a transgene insertion into the teneurin-4 (Ten-4, Ten-m4/Odz4) gene, encoding a transmembrane protein of unknown function. Ten-4 was strongly expressed in the spinal cord of wild-type mice and was induced during normal oligodendrocyte differentiation. In contrast, in the furue mice, the expression of Ten-4 was absent. Differentiation and cellular process formation of oligodendrocytes were inhibited in primary cell culture from the furue mice. Cell differentiation and process formation were also inhibited in the oligodendrocyte progenitor cell line CG-4 after suppression of Ten-4 expression by shRNA. Furthermore, Ten-4 positively regulated focal adhesion kinase, an essential signaling molecule for oligodendrocyte process formation and myelination of small-diameter axons. These findings suggest that Ten-4 is a novel regulator of oligodendrocyte differentiation and that it plays a critical role in the myelination of small-diameter axons in the CNS.
Synthesis of protein kinase Cδ C1b domain by native chemical ligation methodology and characterization of its folding and ligand binding

The C1b domain of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), a potent receptor for ligands such as diacylglycerol and phorbol esters, was synthesized by utilizing native chemical ligation. With this synthetic strategy, the domain was efficiently constructed and shown to have high affinity ligand binding and correct folding. The C1b domain has been utilized for the development of novel ligands for the control of phosphorylation by PKC family members. This strategy will pave the way for the efficient construction of C1b domains modified with fluorescent dyes, biotin, etc. Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Joint Optimization of Energy Harvesting and Spectrum Sensing for Energy Harvesting Cognitive Radio

For energy harvesting cognitive radio (EHCR), secondary user's (SU's) energy harvesting duration and spectrum sensing parameters jointly impact SU's capacity but have not been studied yet. In this paper, we investigate the joint impact. First, we obtain the closed-form expression of SU's capacity considering both limited energy supply and imperfect spectrum sensing. Then, we maximize SU's capacity while satisfying detection probability constraint and guaranteeing that the harvested energy is sufficient to transmit a certain amount of data payload. Simulation results prove that the optimized energy harvesting duration and spectrum sensing parameters dramatically improve SU's capacity.
The cloud factory: Making things and making a living with desktop 3D printing

ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of an open-source 3D printer called ‘Rep-rap’. 3D printing derives from computer numerical control machinery, a technology first introduced against a background of industrial conflict. This historical fact reactualises labour process theory as a theoretical resource. However, the hobbyists in the Rep-rap project are located ‘outside’ the typical setting studied in labour process theory, that is, the workplace. The case study is, therefore, suitable for examining the limits of labour process theory. Its key tenet regarding structured antagonism between labour and capital is put to the test when the ‘point of production’ is located in a community and ‘labour’ consists in non-remunerated contributions by hobbyists (i.e. non-employees). Drawing on theories of the social factory and free labour in the cultural sector, the article argues that this is changing as hobbyists, fans, makers, etc., are put to work by start-up firms and venture capital in the so-called “sharing economy. ”
Enhancement of the T cell response to a mycobacterial peptide by conjugation to synthetic branched polypeptide

A peptide‐based approach towards improving the immunodiagnosis of, and vaccination against, tuberculosis faces the problems of MHC restriction of T cell recognition and the poor immunogenicity of peptides in the absence of adjuvant. We sought to compensate this by the use of synthetic branched polypeptides of the poly[Lys‐(Xi‐DL‐Alam)] type, containing a glutamic acid residue (EAK), and further modified either by succinylation (SucEAK) or acetylation (AcEAK). These carriers were conjugated to two permissively recognized peptides of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The 38p350 – 369‐SucEAK conjugate enhanced IFN‐γ production more than 13‐fold (from 22.6 to 294 pg / ml, p = 0.001) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy subjects, and 8.7‐fold (p = 0.012) in cells from tuberculosis patients. The effect was dependent on the carrier used and on covalent linkage of SucEAK to 38p350 – 369. An increased response occurred best in cells from subjects bearing at least one HLA‐DR allele for which 38p350 – 369 had high binding affinity and required cellular processing of the conjugate as inhibitors (chloroquine and wortmannin) blocked the IFN‐γ response. SucEAK conjugation of peptide 16p91 – 110 did not significantly increase IFN‐γ production, indicating that the ability of conjugation to enhance the response was peptide structure dependent. These data indicate that the use of SucEAK polymer coupled with permissively recognized peptides could contribute to the development of an improved immunodiagnostic or vaccine reagent for tuberculosis.
Cyanovirin-N Inhibits Mannose-Dependent Mycobacterium–C-Type Lectin Interactions but Does Not Protect against Murine Tuberculosis

Cyanovirin-N (CV-N) is a mannose-binding lectin that inhibits HIV-1 infection by blocking mannose-dependent target cell entry via C-type lectins. Like HIV-1, Mycobacterium tuberculosis expresses mannosylated surface structures and exploits C-type lectins to gain cell access. In this study, we investigated whether CV-N, like HIV-1, can inhibit M. tuberculosis infection. We found that CV-N specifically interacted with mycobacteria by binding to the mannose-capped lipoglycan lipoarabinomannan. Furthermore, CV-N competed with the C-type lectins DC-SIGN and mannose receptor for ligand binding and inhibited the binding of M. tuberculosis to dendritic cells but, unexpectedly, not to macrophages. Subsequent in vivo infection experiments in a mouse model demonstrated that, despite its activity, CV-N did not inhibit or delay M. tuberculosis infection. This outcome argues against a critical role for mannose-dependent C-type lectin interactions during the initial stages of murine M. tuberculosis infection and suggests that, depending on the circumstances, M. tuberculosis can productively infect cells using different modes of entry.
Cannabinoid stability in authentic oral fluid after controlled cannabis smoking.

BACKGROUND Defining cannabinoid stability in authentic oral fluid (OF) is critically important for result interpretation. There are few published OF stability data, and of those available, all employed fortified synthetic OF solutions or elution buffers; none included authentic OF following controlled cannabis smoking. METHODS An expectorated OF pool and a pool of OF collected with Quantisal™ devices were prepared for each of 10 participants. Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THCCOOH), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN) stability in each of 10 authentic expectorated and Quantisal-collected OF pools were determined after storage at 4 °C for 1 and 4 weeks and at -20 °C for 4 and 24 weeks. Results within ±20% of baseline concentrations analyzed within 24 h of collection were considered stable. RESULTS All Quantisal OF cannabinoid concentrations were stable for 1 week at 4 °C. After 4 weeks at 4 °C, as well as 4 and 24 weeks at -20 °C, THC was stable in 90%, 80%, and 80% and THCCOOH in 89%, 40%, and 50% of Quantisal samples, respectively. Cannabinoids in expectorated OF were less stable than in Quantisal samples when refrigerated or frozen. After 4 weeks at 4 and -20 °C, CBD and CBN were stable in 33%-100% of Quantisal and expectorated samples; by 24 weeks at -20 °C, CBD and CBN were stable in ≤ 44%. CONCLUSIONS Cannabinoid OF stability varied by analyte, collection method, and storage duration and temperature, and across participants. OF collection with a device containing an elution/stabilization buffer, sample storage at 4 °C, and analysis within 4 weeks is preferred to maximize result accuracy.
PHAGOCYTES, GRANULOCYTES, AND MYELOPOIESIS Aberrant 3oligoadenylation of spliceosomal U6 small nuclear RNAin poikiloderma with neutropenia

1MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 2The Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 3Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 4Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 5Cancer Genome Project, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom; and 6Centre for Paediatrics, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation Using Embedded Pseudo Random Sequences

The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system is widely adopted in high-speed wireless communication systems. Different from the single carrier transmission scheme, OFDM system is extremely sensitive to the carrier frequency offset (CFO). Several frequency estimation methods have been proposed to extract and compensate the CFO. However, conventional estimation methods get some trouble in correctly extracting the integer CFO in strong echo channels. In this paper, a novel frequency estimation method, using PN sequence embedded in frequency domain OFDM data, is introduced for time-domain synchronous OFDM. The method uses correlation result between PN sequence and OFDM data to extract the integer CFO. Simulation result proves that the new method precisely extract the integer CFO in various channels almost without interference on data.
Clostridium difficile toxin B differentially affects GPCR‐stimulated Ca2+ responses in macrophages: independent roles for Rho and PLA2

Clostridium difficile toxins cause acute colitis by disrupting the enterocyte barrier and promoting inflammation. ToxB from C. difficile inactivates Rho family GTPases and causes release of cytokines and eicosanoids by macrophages. We studied the effects of ToxB on GPCR signaling in murine RAW264.7 macrophages and found that ToxB elevated Ca2+ responses to Gαi‐linked receptors, including the C5aR, but reduced responses to Gαq‐linked receptors, including the UDP receptors. Other Rho inhibitors also reduced UDP Ca2+ responses, but they did not affect C5a responses, suggesting that ToxB inhibited UDP responses by inhibiting Rho but enhanced C5a responses by other mechanisms. By using PLCβ isoform‐deficient BMDM, we found that ToxB inhibited Ca2+ signaling through PLCβ4 but enhanced signaling through PLCβ3. Effects of ToxB on GPCR Ca2+ responses correlated with GPCR use of PLCβ3 versus PLCβ4. ToxB inhibited UDP Ca2+ signaling without reducing InsP3 production or the sensitivity of cellular Ca2+ stores to exogenous InsP3, suggesting that ToxB impairs UDP signaling at the level of InsP3/Ca2+coupling. In contrast, ToxB elevated InsP3 production by C5a, and the enhancement of Ca2+ signaling by C5a was prevented by inhibition of PLA2 or 5‐LOX but not COX, implicating LTs but not prostanoids in the mechanism. In sum, ToxB has opposing, independently regulated effects on Ca2+ signaling by different GPCR‐linked PLCβ isoforms in macrophages.