Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new method for growing detector-grade cadmium zinc telluride crystals

Results will be reported on a new technique to grow cadmium zinc telluride crystals for radiation detector applications without the use of an expensive, high-pressure chamber. This technique, based on the Modified Vertical Bridgman (MVB) method, has partly resolved problems resulting from the lack of control of the thermal environment during growth, leading to better melt stabilization, interface control, and crystallinity. For example, single crystal volumes exceeding 120 cm/sup 3/ have been produced, which is 5-10 times larger that the typical single-crystal volumes produced using the high-pressure Bridgman method. The crystals exhibit simultaneously high electrical resistivity, good uniformity, and excellent electron mobility-lifetime products. The yield of spectrometer-grade crystals is >50%. Electrical resistivities in the range of 2-9/spl times/10/sup 10/ Ohm-cm are obtained, and electron mobility-lifetime products up to 1/spl times/10/sup -2/ cm/sup 2//V are measured using collimated low-energy gamma rays. These material advances have enabled production of large-volume planar detectors, co-planar grid detectors, and large-area pixellated imaging arrays. The detectors exhibit good counting efficiency, excellent peak-to-valley ratios, and low leakage currents. Individual pixels of multi-element arrays have spectral resolutions of up to 3% for uncollimated 122-keV photons. Co-planar grid detectors with dimensions of (10 mm)/sup 3/ show resolutions of up to 2.2%, and energy resolutions of 1.2% are measured with 5.4 MeV alpha particles. Prototype large-volume planar detectors were fabricated, and the photopeak at 122 keV was approximately Gaussian in shape with practically all of the events in the peak, instead of counts at lower channels. New records for detector thickness (25 mm) and volume efficiency (3600 mm/sup 3/) have been achieved. Results on the material and detector properties will be presented.
Development of high quality single crystal diamond for novel laser applications

The extreme properties of diamond make it an exceptional material for a range of demanding optical applications. However, the use of single crystal diamond in lasers has been limited by the availability of suitably-sized crystals with low absorption, and the relatively high levels of strain-related birefringence present. We present recent progress in CVD diamond synthesis which addresses these properties, and show how this new high quality, engineered diamond is enabling novel laser technologies such as mid-IR semiconductor disk lasers and high efficiency diamond Raman lasers.
TLR-9 Activation Aggravates Concanavalin A-Induced Hepatitis via Promoting Accumulation and Activation of Liver CD4+ NKT Cells1

Increasing evidence suggests that TLRs are involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases; however, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, we found that treatment with CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) promoted the accumulation and activation of murine hepatic NKT cells. Additional experiments showed that CpG-ODN preferred to act on CD4+ NKT cells, while having less effect on CD4− NKT cells. The effect of CpG-ODN on liver NKT cells depended on the presence of Kupffer cells and IL-12. Meanwhile, CpG-ODN pretreatment aggravated liver injury and promoted the production of inflammatory cytokines in a Con A-induced fulminant hepatitis model via TLR9 activation. Collectively, our data demonstrate that TLR9 stimulation prefers to promote the accumulation and activation of hepatic CD4+ NKT cells and suggest that TLR9 signaling might be involved in the pathogenesis of human hepatitis.
Regression analysis and automorphic orbits in free groups of rank 2

The main goal of this paper is to show that pattern recognition techniques can be successfully used in abstract algebra. We introduce a pattern recognition system to recognize words of minimal length in their automorphic orbits in free groups of rank 2. This system is based on linear regression and does not use any particular results from group theory. The corresponding classifier is very fast and surprisingly accurate.
Apatite-Wollastonite Bioactive Glass-Ceramic Scaffolds for Hard Tissue Engineering

Apatite-wollastonite bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds were fabricated from the SiO2-CaO-P2O5 MgO-CaF2 glass system by controlled crystallization between 800 and 1200C of the melted and quenched glass powder. Wood powder with controlled particle size distribution was used to obtain bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds by burning-out process during crystallization of glass. Bioactive phases of apatite and wollastonite were found in all crystallized samples but the relative amount depended on the crystallization temperature. The bioactivity was studied via simulated body fluid (SBF) solution from 2 to 12 weeks. After soaking for 2 weeks, a porous hydroxyl-carbonate apatite (HCA) layer formed at the SBF-glass ceramic interface and the HCA layer thickness increased at longer soaking periods. This study led to a promising platform for hard tissue engineering.
Exploring the Underlying Structure of Personal Web Usage in the Workplace

Personal Web usage (PWU) represents a tension between employers and employees as employers generally regard employees' PWU as negative and employees see many PWU behaviors as acceptable. Employers attempt to limit PWU primarily through electronic monitoring and Internet usage policies. Employees, however, find PWU not only permissible, but also useful and rationalize these workplace behaviors. While researchers identified many PWU behaviors, the underlying structure of the phenomenon is not clearly understood. In this article, we offer a comprehensive new definition of PWU, and develop an empirically grounded classification of PWU framed by psychological contract theory and based on two studies. Using multidimensional scaling techniques and cluster analysis, we identified four clusters of PWU behaviors-work/family, hedonic, self-development, and citizenship. The results provide information as to what constitutes the domain of PWU, and how various usages are related to one another via the dimensions of individual and organizational benefits. We offer directions for future work and suggest how our work might be useful to practitioners.
Implication of trans-11,trans-13 conjugated linoleic acid in the development of hepatic steatosis

Scope Conjugated linoleic acids are linoleic acid isomers found in the diet that can also be produced through bacterial metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Our objective was to evaluate the contribution of fatty acid metabolites produced from polyunsaturated fatty acids by the gut microbiota in vivo to regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and steatosis. Methods and results In mice with depleted n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, we observed an accumulation of trans-11,trans-13 CLA and cis-9,cis-11 conjugated linoleic acids in the liver tissue that were associated with an increased triglyceride content and expression of lipogenic genes. We used an in vitro model to evaluate the impact of these two conjugated linoleic acids on hepatic lipid metabolism. In HepG2 cells, we observed that only trans-11,trans-13 conjugated linoleic acids recapitulated triglyceride accumulation and increased lipogenic gene expression, which is a phenomenon that may implicate the nuclear factors sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) and carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP). Conclusion The trans-11,trans-13 conjugated linoleic acids can stimulate hepatic lipogenesis, which supports the conclusion that gut microbiota and related metabolites should be considered in the treatment of non-alcoholic liver disease.
Intracellular Leptin-Signaling Pathways in Hypothalamic Neurons: The Emerging Role of Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase-Phosphodiesterase-3B-cAMP Pathway

Leptin is secreted primarily by fat cells and acts centrally, particularly in the hypothalamus, to reduce food intake and body weight. Besides the classical JAK2 (Janus kinase-2)-STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription-3) pathway, several non-STAT3 pathways play an important role in mediating leptin signaling in the hypothalamus. We have demonstrated that leptin action in the hypothalamus is mediated by an insulin-like signaling pathway involving stimulation of PI3K (phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase) and PDE3B (phosphodiesterase-3B), and reduction in cAMP levels, and that a PI3K-PDE3B-cAMP pathway interacting with the JAK2-STAT3 pathway constitutes a critical component of leptin signaling in the hypothalamus. It appears that defective regulation of multiple signaling pathways in the hypothalamus causes central leptin resistance, a major cause of obesity. In this regard, we have shown that leptin resistance in hypothalamic neurons following chronic central infusion of this hormone is associated with a defect in the PI3K-PDE3B-cAMP, and not due to compromised signaling in the JAK2-STAT3 pathway. Similarly, the PI3K, but not the STAT3, pathway is impaired in the hypothalamus during the development of diet-induced obesity. Additionally, our recent work suggests that suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 negatively regulates the PI3K pathway of leptin signaling in the hypothalamus, a mechanism expected to play a significant role in diet-induced obesity. Together, the PI3K-PDE3B-cAMP pathway appears to emerge as a major mechanism of leptin signaling in the hypothalamus in regulating energy balance.
Development of a Self-Report Checklist to Assess Dementia Care by Nurses in Hospital Settings.

Nurses working at general hospitals face difficulties in providing dementia care. The current study examined aged care nurses' dementia care practices in the hospital setting and developed a dementia care checklist that nurses can use to review their own care practice. A self-administered questionnaire was given to 676 participants; responses were collected from 595 participants. Exploratory factor analysis identified six factors (e.g., patient understanding prompted by concern and interest for the patient, respect for patients' voluntary behavior, early detection of abnormalities) among the questionnaire's 28 items. This analysis provided a framework for the checklist and verified that it had satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity. The frequency of care practices varied with participants' knowledge of dementia care requirements, satisfaction with their own dementia care practice, confidence in their ability to judge patients' physical condition, and cooperation with colleagues. This checklist might improve dementia care in hospital settings. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2018; 11(2):91-102. ].
Polymeric nanoparticles for targeted radiosensitization of prostate cancer cells.

One of the many issues of using radiosensitizers in a clinical setting is timing daily radiation treatments to coincide with peak drug concentration in target tissue. To overcome this deficit, we have synthesized a novel nanoparticle (NP) system consisting of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs conjugated with prostate cancer cell penetrating peptide-R11 and encapsulated with a potent radio-sensitizer 8-dibenzothiophen-4-yl-2-morpholin-4-yl-chromen-4-one (NU7441) to allow prostate cancer-specific targeting and sustained delivery over 3 weeks. Preliminary characterization studies showed that the R11-conjugated NPs (R11-NU7441 NPs) had an average size of about 274 ± 80 nm and were stable for up to 5 days in deionized water and serum. The NPs were cytocompatible with immortalized prostate cells (PZ-HPV-7). Further, the particles showed a bi-phasic release of encapsulated NU7441 and were taken up by PC3 prostate cancer cells in a dose- and magnetic field-dependent manner while not being taken up in nonprostate cancer cell lines. In addition, R11-NU7441 NPs were effective radiation sensitizers of prostate cancer cell lines in vitro. These results thus demonstrate the potential of R11-conjugated PLGA NPs as novel platforms for targeted radiosensitization of prostate cancer cells.
Role of Leptin-Mediated Colonic Inflammation in Defense against Clostridium difficile Colitis

ABSTRACT The role of leptin in the mucosal immune response to Clostridium difficile colitis, a leading cause of nosocomial infection, was studied in humans and in a murine model. Previously, a mutation in the receptor for leptin (LEPR) was shown to be associated with susceptibility to infectious colitis and liver abscess due to Entamoeba histolytica as well as to bacterial peritonitis. Here we discovered that European Americans homozygous for the same LEPR Q223R mutation (rs1137101), known to result in decreased STAT3 signaling, were at increased risk of C. difficile infection (odds ratio, 3.03; P = 0.015). The mechanism of increased susceptibility was studied in a murine model. Mice lacking a functional leptin receptor (db/db) had decreased clearance of C. difficile from the gut lumen and diminished inflammation. Mutation of tyrosine 1138 in the intracellular domain of LepRb that mediates signaling through the STAT3/SOCS3 pathway also resulted in decreased mucosal chemokine and cell recruitment. Collectively, these data support a protective mucosal immune function for leptin in C. difficile colitis partially mediated by a leptin-STAT3 inflammatory pathway that is defective in the LEPR Q223R mutation. Identification of the role of leptin in protection from C. difficile offers the potential for host-directed therapy and demonstrates a connection between metabolism and immunity.
The decidua of early human pregnancy: immunohistochemistry and function of immunocompetent cells.

Like the endometrial stroma, the decidua contains lymphoreticular cells, and these are probably involved in immunological interactions between the conceptus and the mother. Lymphoreticular cells in decidual tissue obtained from 12 patients undergoing therapeutic abortion of an intact pregnancy at 6-10 weeks' gestation were investigated in this study. Immunophenotyping with a broad panel of monoclonal antibodies revealed various subpopulations of lymphoreticular cells. Macrophages (Ki-M6+, Ki-M7+, Ki-M8+, KP1+, MAC 387+ and Ki-M1P+) represented the largest fraction of intradecidual lymphoreticular cells. CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes were found in moderate numbers and CD4+ cells in small numbers. The majority of the intradecidual lymphoid cells exhibited an unusual phenotype [CD7+, CD2+, CD56+, triple negative (CD3-, CD4-, CD8)]. The distribution of these unusual lymphocytes mirrored that of the so-called endometrial stromal granulocytes. A few of these stromal granulocytes reacted with the macrophage-associated antibody KP1, but not with Ki-M1P, another macrophage marker. This was confirmed by immuno-electron microscopy. The finding that intradecidual CD3+ lymphocytes express neither the alpha/beta nor the gamma/delta heterodimer of the T cell antigen receptor was unexpected. However, these cells did express the alpha/beta heterodimer after in vitro culture with PHA-P and recombinant exogenous interleukin-2. No stimulated T lymphocytes expressing activation antigens could be detected. B lymphocytes, T and B immune accessory cells and CD15+ granulocytes were found only in small numbers or were absent. Amongst cells expressing NK cell markers, CD57+ and CD16+ cells were found in small to moderate numbers, while CD56+ cells were detected in large numbers. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Changes in DNA Methylation from Age 18 to Pregnancy in Type 1, 2, and 17 T Helper and Regulatory T-Cells Pathway Genes

To succeed, pregnancies need to initiate immune biases towards T helper 2 (Th2) responses, yet little is known about what establishes this bias. Using the Illumina 450 K platform, we explored changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) of Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cell pathway genes before and during pregnancy. Female participants were recruited at birth (1989), and followed through age 18 years and their pregnancy (2011–2015). Peripheral blood DNAm was measured in 245 girls at 18 years; from among these girls, the DNAm of 54 women was repeatedly measured in the first (weeks 8–21, n = 39) and second (weeks 22–38, n = 35) halves of pregnancy, respectively. M-values (logit-transformed β-values of DNAm) were analyzed: First, with repeated measurement models, cytosine–phosphate–guanine sites (CpGs) of pathway genes in pregnancy and at age 18 (nonpregnant) were compared for changes (p ≤ 0.05). Second, we tested how many of the 348 pathway-related CpGs changed compared to 10 randomly selected subsets of all other CpGs and compared to 10 randomly selected subsets of other CD4+-related CpGs (348 in each subset). Contrasted to the nonpregnant state, 27.7% of Th1-related CpGs changed in the first and 36.1% in the second half of pregnancy. Among the Th2 pathway CpGs, proportions of changes were 35.1% (first) and 33.8% (second half). The methylation changes suggest involvement of both Th1 and Th2 pathway CpGs in the immune bias during pregnancy. Changes in regulatory T cell and Th17 pathways need further exploration.
Pervasive parallelism in data mining: dataflow solution to co-clustering large and sparse Netflix data

All Netflix Prize algorithms proposed so far are prohibitively costly for large-scale production systems. In this paper, we describe an efficient dataflow implementation of a collaborative filtering (CF) solution to the Netflix Prize problem [1] based on weighted coclustering [5]. The dataflow library we use facilitates the development of sophisticated parallel programs designed to fully utilize commodity multicore hardware, while hiding traditional difficulties such as queuing, threading, memory management, and deadlocks. The dataflow CF implementation first compresses the large, sparse training dataset into co-clusters. Then it generates recommendations by combining the average ratings of the co-clusters with the biases of the users and movies. When configured to identify 20x20 co-clusters in the Netflix training dataset, the implementation predicted over 100 million ratings in 16.31 minutes and achieved an RMSE of 0.88846 without any fine-tuning or domain knowledge. This is an effective real-time prediction runtime of 9.7 us per rating which is far superior to previously reported results. Moreover, the implemented co-clustering framework supports a wide variety of other large-scale data mining applications and forms the basis for predictive modeling on large, dyadic datasets [4, 7].
Diabetes mellitus and insulin therapy in infective endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an uncommon disease but is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. In the contemporary era, despite advancements in diagnosis and both antimicrobial and surgical therapies, IE is associated with an in-hospital mortality rate of nearly 20%. 1,2 Given this high mortality, numerous studies have investigated clinical characteristics of IE that are associated with poor outcome. On the basis of such observational studies, current consensus guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of IE3,4 outline complications of IE that are indications for cardiac surgery in active IE. In addition to describing prognostic complications of IE, observational studies have identified demographic, echocardiographic, and microbiologic characteristics associated with poorer outcome.1,2,5 The role of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the outcome of IE has been previously investigated. In a study of 267 patients with possible or definite IE including 88 (33%) with DM, Chu et al . 1 found that DM was a strong, independent early predictor of in-hospital mortality. Recently, an analysis of the large, multicentre International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) Merged Database found that DM patients with IE had an in-hospital mortality rate of 30.3% compared with 18.6% for non-DM patients, and confirmed that DM was independently associated with in-hospital mortality.2 However, no statistically significant differences in … Corresponding author. Tel: +1 919 643 1674; fax: +1 919 681 7917. E-mail address : a.wang{at}duke.edu
Changes in gene expression in experimental glaucoma and optic nerve transection: the equilibrium between protective and detrimental mechanisms.

PURPOSE The authors studied retinal gene expression changes in rats after experimental intraocular pressure elevation and optic nerve transection to elucidate molecular mechanisms of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. METHODS Translimbal laser photocoagulation was used to induce unilateral IOP elevation in 41 albino Wistar rats. In 38 additional animals, unilateral transection of the optic nerve was performed. Retinas were harvested 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after each treatment, and total RNA was isolated. Pooled RNA from each time point was analyzed with rat genome arrays. Array results were confirmed by real-time PCR, and localization studies were performed using in situ hybridization for select genes. RESULTS Genes that were upregulated in glaucoma, but not after transection, included Cyclin D2, Stat1, Stat3, c-Fos, Junb, Anxa1, Anxa 3, and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (Cebp-delta). In glaucoma and transection models, the upregulation of c-Jun, Activating transcription factor 3, Heat shock protein 27, and Timp1 were observed. Comparisons among microarray databases were performed between our data and reports of retinal and optic nerve injury models in mice, rats, and monkeys. CONCLUSIONS Gene expression changes specific to experimental glaucoma injury were identified. The present analysis supports the importance of neuroinflammation and the participation of the tumor necrosis factor alpha signaling pathway in glaucoma injury. The alterations observed include processes that are both protective of and detrimental to the survival of RGCs.
Cortactin is necessary for E-cadherin–mediated contact formation and actin reorganization

Classical cadherin adhesion molecules are key determinants of cell–cell recognition during development and in post-embryonic life. A decisive step in productive cadherin-based recognition is the conversion of nascent adhesions into stable zones of contact. It is increasingly clear that such contact zone extension entails active cooperation between cadherin adhesion and the force-generating capacity of the actin cytoskeleton. Cortactin has recently emerged as an important regulator of actin dynamics in several forms of cell motility. We now report that cortactin is recruited to cell–cell adhesive contacts in response to homophilic cadherin ligation. Notably, cortactin accumulates preferentially, with Arp2/3, at cell margins where adhesive contacts are being extended. Recruitment of cortactin is accompanied by a ligation-dependent biochemical interaction between cortactin and the cadherin adhesive complex. Inhibition of cortactin activity in cells blocked Arp2/3-dependent actin assembly at cadherin adhesive contacts, significantly reduced cadherin adhesive contact zone extension, and perturbed both cell morphology and junctional accumulation of cadherins in polarized epithelia. Together, our findings identify a necessary role for cortactin in the cadherin–actin cooperation that supports productive contact formation.
Dangling bonds and magnetism of grain boundaries in graphene

Grain boundaries with dangling bonds (DBGB) in graphene are studied by atomistic Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations in combination with density functional (SIESTA) calculations. The most stable configurations are selected and their structure is analyzed in terms of grain boundary dislocations. It is shown that the grain boundary dislocation with the core consisting of pentagon, octagon and heptagon (5-8-7 defect) is a typical structural element of DBGB with relatively low energies. Electron energy spectrum and magnetic properties of the obtained DBGB are studied by density functional calculations. It is shown that the 5-8-7 defect is magnetic and that its magnetic moment survives after hydrogenation. The effects of hydrogenation and of out of plane deformations on the magnetic properties of DBGB are studied.