Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extended model for the interaction of dielectric thin films with an electrostatic force microscope probe

To improve measurements of the dielectric permittivity of nanometric portions by means of Local Dielectric Spectroscopy (LDS), we introduce an extension to current analytical models for the interpretation of the interaction between the probe tip of an electrostatic force microscope (EFM) and a thin dielectric film covering a conducting substrate. Using the proposed models, we show how more accurate values for the dielectric constant can be obtained from single-frequency measurements at various probe/substrate distances, not limited to a few tip radii.
Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat: subtle changes to a familiar message.

"Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat," issued in Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans in the year 2000, has an interesting and lengthy history. The first guideline, for which there was extensive scientific data to show that dietary excess increased chronic disease risk, prompted much scientific discussion and debate when implemented as dietary guidance. Three major changes in the guideline are noted since it was issued in 1980, i.e., numerical goals for dietary fats; the applicability of recommended fat intakes for all individuals > or =2 y old; and rewording to emphasize reducing saturated fat and cholesterol intakes. The shift in emphasis includes the terminology moderate fat, which replaces the phrasing low fat. National data about the food supply, the population's dietary intake, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, and nutritional status indicators (e.g., serum cholesterol levels) related to dietary fats help to monitor nutrition and health in the population. Experts consider that national data, although not without limitations, are sufficient to conclude that U.S. intakes of fats, as a proportion of energy, have decreased. The lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol are consistent with decreases in blood cholesterol levels and lower rates of coronary mortality over the past 30 years. Strategies are needed and some are suggested, to further encourage the population to achieve a dietary pattern that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat. Other suggestions are offered to improve national nutrition monitoring and surveillance related to the guideline.
Single-Switch Multioutput Charger Using Voltage Multiplier for Series-Connected Lithium-Ion Battery/Supercapacitor Equalization

Voltage equalization is essential for series-connected energy storage cells, such as lithium-ion cells and supercapacitors (SCs), because it ensures years of service life and maximizes the available energies of cells. Conventional equalizers and multioutput chargers require many switches and/or a multiwinding transformer, which are not desirable in terms of circuit simplicity and extendibility. In this paper, single-switch multioutput chargers based on a combination of an input cell (which generates a square voltage wave) and a voltage multiplier (which produces multiple uniform output voltages) are proposed. A fundamental operation analysis is made, and a dc equivalent circuit is derived to describe their charging and equalization behaviors. Experimental charge tests were performed separately for series-connected SC modules and lithium-ion batteries from voltage-unbalanced conditions. The least charged module/battery was charged preferentially; as a result, all of the modules/batteries were charged to a desired uniform voltage level while eliminating the voltage imbalance.
Early predictors of intractability in childhood epilepsy: a community‐based case–control study in Copparo, Italy

Objectives – To identify early predictors of intractability in childhood and adolescence epilepsy. Materials and methods – We carried out a community‐based case–control study using the incidence cohort of epileptic patients living in the district of Copparo, in the province of Ferrara, Italy. The comparative study was performed in 31 cases and 95 controls. Cases were patients who averaged at least 1 unprovoked seizure per month during an observational period of at least 2 years. Controls were subjects having achieved remission for at least 5 years regardless of current therapy. Results – Onset at age <1 year, remote symptomatic etiology and high frequency of seizures before therapy were found to be independent early predictors of intractability. Conclusion – Our study suggested that the risk of developing intractable epilepsy may, to some extent, be predicted at the time of initial diagnosis in children with early‐onset epilepsy of remote symptomatic etiology, especially if seizure propensity is initially high.
Non-targeted and Delayed Effects of Exposure to Ionizing Radiation: II. Radiation-Induced Genomic Instability and Bystander Effects In Vivo, Clastogenic Factors and Transgenerational Effects

Abstract Morgan, W. F. Non-targeted and Delayed Effects of Exposure to Ionizing Radiation: II. Radiation-Induced Genomic Instability and Bystander Effects In Vivo, Clastogenic Factors and Transgenerational Effects. Radiat. Res. 159, 581–596 (2003). The goal of this review is to summarize the evidence for non-targeted and delayed effects of exposure to ionizing radiation in vivo. Currently, human health risks associated with radiation exposures are based primarily on the assumption that the detrimental effects of radiation occur in irradiated cells. Over the years a number of non-targeted effects of radiation exposure in vivo have been described that challenge this concept. These include radiation-induced genomic instability, bystander effects, clastogenic factors produced in plasma from irradiated individuals that can cause chromosomal damage when cultured with nonirradiated cells, and transgenerational effects of parental irradiation that can manifest in the progeny. These effects pose new challenges to evaluating the risk(s) associated with radiation exposure and understanding radiation-induced carcinogenesis.
Cardiac Output, Blood Pressure Variability, and Cognitive Decline in Geriatric Cardiac Patients

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively investigate whether baseline findings on specific cardiovascular indices are predictive of subsequent rate of decline in Attention-Executive-Psychomotor function in a cohort of ambulatory older adults with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). METHODS: One hundred seventy-two older adults with CVD were administered a neuropsychological battery of executive functions tests at study entry, and at 12 and 36 months thereafter. At study entry, they also underwent vascular assessments including cardiac output, ejection fraction, blood pressure (BP), brachial artery reactivity, and carotid intima media thickness. Random coefficient regressions were used to investigate the effect of these cardiac indices on rate of decline in Attention-Executive-Psychomotor function. RESULTS: Cardiac output, systolic BP variability, and diastolic BP variability predicted decline in Attention-Executive-Psychomotor function. Specifically, lower cardiac output, reduced variability in systolic BP, and increased variability in diastolic BP were associated with a faster rate of decline in Attention-Executive-Psychomotor function. Mean resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not predict decline in Attention-Executive-Psychomotor function. CONCLUSIONS: Decline in frontal-subcortical cognitive functions among patients with CVDs appears to be mediated by systemic hypoperfusion and variability in blood pressure. The precise nature of these relationships, especially with regard to blood pressure variability, is complex and demands continued investigation.
Effects of Pertussis Toxin Suggest a Role for G‐Proteins in the Inhibition of Acetylcholine Release from Rat Myenteric Plexus by Opioid and Presynaptic Muscarinic Receptors

1 Longitudinal muscle preparations of the rat ileum with the attached myenteric plexuses (LMMPs) were preloaded with (3H)choline and the effects of drugs on the depolarization‐evoked release of radioactivity corresponding to (3H) acetylcholine ((3H)ACh) were measured. The release of (3H)ACh was inhibited by morphine and the effect of morphine was blocked by naloxone. Morphine had no effect on the release of (3H)ACh in LMMPs from rats that had been injected with pertussis toxin (PTX) 7 days before experiments. 2 Carbamoylcholine applied in the presence of tetrodotoxin inhibited the release of (3H)ACh evoked by depolarization of LMMPs. The effect of carbamoylcholine was absent in LMMPs from rats pretreated with PTX. 3 The effects of PTX indicate that one or more PTX‐sensitive G proteins are involved in the chain of events mediating the action of opioid and muscarinic receptors on the release of ACh from the myenteric plexus. It is suggested that the inhibition of ACh release depends on G‐protein‐mediated coupling of opiod receptors with K+ channels and of muscarinic receptors with Ca2+ channels, but alternative explanations cannot be excluded.
Uptake of Minocycline and Tetracycline by Tetracycline-Susceptible and -Resistant Bacteria

Minocycline (7-dimethylamino-6-demethyl-6-deoxytetracycline) is a new semisynthetic tetracycline with potent activity against tetracycline-susceptible bacterial pathogens and unique activity against tetracycline-resistant staphylococci. Studies to determine the basis for this unique activity showed that, whereas tetracycline-resistant staphylococci took up less 3H-tetracycline than the susceptible cells, both the tetracycline-resistant and -susceptible cells accumulated equivalent amounts of 14C-minocycline. In contrast, tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli cells were relatively resistant to minocycline and accumulated less of both drugs than did the susceptible organisms. It is proposed that minocycline is effective against tetracycline-resistant staphylococci because of its ability to penetrate the cells sufficiently to reach inhibiting concentrations at sensitive reaction sites.
Molecular Phylogenetics of the Possibly Extinct Martinique Ground Snake

Abstract: The Lesser Antilles is a biodiversity hot spot but unfortunately human disturbance has taken its toll, causing dramatic population declines and even extinction of numerous endemic species. Nevertheless, today the rediscovery of previously thought extinct species is not uncommon. Often, old museum specimens and their original descriptions are the only information available for such species. The application of molecular phylogenetic relationships to extant species can help to elucidate pivotal information on their ecology and conservation. Erythrolamprus cursor is possibly an extinct colubrid racer from Martinique, currently classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid sequences were obtained from four E. cursor specimens from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) collections. All sequences recovered the same haplotype and the level of divergence between E. cursor and E. juliae, from the nearby island of Dominica, was lower than between other intraspecific distances within other Erythrolamprus. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses confirm that these two species are sister taxa and share most recent common ancestry. We discuss that published ecological data available for the sister species (E. juliae) may help to elucidate information on this species' natural history, ultimately having important implications for a future conservation management program if E. cursor is to be found. We emphasize the urgent need to conduct an exhaustive survey on the supposed last population of E. cursor at Diamond Rock to establish the survival of this species there, to understand how it may have adapted to such an ecosystem, especially in sympatry of several introduced rodent species.
Changes in weight during a 1-year trial of fluoxetine.

OBJECTIVE Fluoxetine has been associated with weight loss during acute treatment, but no controlled studies of weight change during long-term treatment with fluoxetine or other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been reported. Weights were assessed for patients whose depressive symptoms had disappeared with acute fluoxetine treatment. Patients were then randomly assigned to continuation treatment with fluoxetine or placebo. METHOD Patients whose illness had remitted after 12 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine, 20 mg/day, were randomly assigned to receive up to 38 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine or placebo. Weight was assessed at each visit. Change in weight was analyzed during the initial 12 weeks of acute treatment and after 14, 26, and 38 weeks. Relationships between weight change and body mass index and between weight change and appetite change were assessed. RESULTS During the initial 4 weeks of therapy, a mean absolute weight decrease of 0.4 kg was observed for all patients. Among patients who completed 50 weeks of therapy, the mean absolute weight increase during continuation treatment was similar for both the placebo- and fluoxetine-treated groups. Weight increase was not related to initial body mass index but was related to both poor appetite at study entry and to improvement in appetite after recovery. No patients discontinued therapy because of weight gain. CONCLUSIONS Acute therapy with fluoxetine is associated with modest weight loss. After remission of depressive symptoms, weight gain for patients taking fluoxetine for longer periods is not different from that for patients taking placebo and is most likely related to recovery from depression.
Keeping Secrets on Low-Cost Chips

In the mass markets in which chips are integrated into everyday objects, the cost pressures are great, but so is the need for security. To help resolve the conflict between cost and security, a new strategy embeds cryptographic algorithms into a cryptographic protocol such that they only need to be protected against single-execution side-channel attacks. To do this, the strategy introduces a key derivation function that's particularly easy to implement and protect.
Acute pancreatitis in mice impairs bacterial clearance from the lungs, whereas concurrent pneumonia prolongs the course of pancreatitis*

Objective:Nosocomial pneumonia is a feared complication in the critically ill patient. Serious acute pancreatitis is frequently complicated by infections. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of acute pancreatitis on host defense against Pseudomonas pneumonia and to determine the influence of Pseudomonas pneumonia on the severity of concurrent pancreatitis. Design:A controlled, in vivo laboratory study. Setting:Research laboratory of a health sciences university. Subjects:Female C57Bl/6 mice. Interventions:Pancreatitis was induced by 12 hourly intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (pancreatitis) or saline (sham) immediately followed by intranasal administration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (to induce pneumonia) or saline (controls). Mice were killed 24 hrs later. Hence, four groups were studied: sham/control, pancreatitis/control, sham/pneumonia, and pancreatitis/pneumonia mice. Measurements and Main Results:When compared with sham/pneumonia mice, pancreatitis/pneumonia mice demonstrated exaggerated lung inflammation, higher bacterial counts in lungs and pancreas, and enhanced dissemination of the infection. Concurrently, pneumonia prolonged the course of pancreatitis, as reflected by histopathology and higher plasma amylase and relative pancreas weights (all p < .05 for the difference between pancreatitis/pneumonia and pancreatitis/control mice), which was associated with the localization of Pseudomonas in the pancreas. Conclusions:Acute pancreatitis impairs host defense against Pseudomonas pneumonia, whereas pneumonia prolongs the course of pancreatitis.
Effect of axillary blockade on regional cerebral blood flow during static handgrip.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was determined at rest and during static handgrip before and after regional blockade with lidocaine. A fast rotating single photon emission computer tomograph system with 133Xe inhalation was used at orbitomeatal plane (OM) +2.5 and +6.5 cm in eight subjects. Median handgrip force during the control study was 41 (range 24-68) N, which represented 10% of the initial maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and was 24 (18-36) N after axillary blockade (P less than 0.05), which represented 21% of the new MVC. During static handgrip, the rating of perceived exertion was 14 (10-16) exertion units before and 18 (15-20) after blockade (P less than 0.05). Hemispheric mean CBF did not change during handgrip. However, premotor rCBF increased from 55 (44-63) to 60 (50-69) ml.100 g-1.min-1 (P less than 0.05) and motor sensory rCBF from 57 (46-65) to 63 (55-71) ml.100 g-1.min-1 (P less than 0.05) to both the ipsilateral and contralateral sides during handgrip before, but not after, axillary blockade. There was no change in rCBF to other regions of the brain. Regional anesthesia with lidocaine did not alter resting rCBF. However, despite a greater sense of effort during static handgrip, there was no increase in rCBF after partial sensory and motor blockade. Thus bilateral activation occurs in the premotor and motor sensory cortex during static handgrip, and this activation requires neural feedback from the contracting muscles.
Light-Inducible MiR163 Targets PXMT1 Transcripts to Promote Seed Germination and Primary Root Elongation in Arabidopsis1[OPEN]

MiR163 targets PXMT1 transcripts at the early stage of light responses to promote seed germination and root development. Expression of many plant microRNAs is responsive to hormones and environmental stimuli, but none has yet been associated with light. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) miR163 is 24 nucleotides in length and targets mRNAs encoding several S-adenosyl-Met-dependent carboxyl methyltransferase family members. Here, we found that miR163 is highly induced by light during seedling de-etiolation as well as seed germination. Under the same condition, its target PXMT1, encoding a methyltransferase that methylates 1,7-paraxanthine, is down-regulated. Light repression of PXMT1 is abolished in a mir163 null mutant, but the repression can be restored to wild-type levels in complementation lines expressing pri-miR163 gene in the mir163 mutant background. During seed germination, miR163 and its target PXMT1 are predominantly expressed in the radicle, and the expression patterns of the two genes are inversely correlated. Moreover, compared with the wild type, mir163 mutant or PXMT1 overexpression line shows delayed seed germination under continuous light, and seedlings develop shorter primary roots with an increased number of lateral roots under long-day condition. Together, our results indicate that miR163 targets PXMT1 mRNA to promote seed germination and modulate root architecture during early development of Arabidopsis seedlings.
Small Countries, Big Performers: In Search of Shared Strategic Public Sector HRM Practices in Successful Small Countries

ABSTRACTThis article compares strategic public sector HRM practices between 10 small countries that have consistently shown extraordinary economic, social, and governance performance. The fact that these small countries, which are traditionally considered to be disadvantaged, have become benchmarks of good government suggests they have uniquely maximized and leveraged their key resource: people. In search of novel lessons, we assess through secondary data how their public sectors have organized and institutionalized four key HRM activities: 1) selection, 2) appraisal, 3) training, and 4) compensation, and whether they engage in strategic, centralized efforts to architect and “bundle” these activities. Our exploratory case study findings show that these high performing countries employ various integrated efforts to attract the best and brightest into their public sectors, and train and reward them well, although they differ in terms of their centralization dynamics. We conclude our article with seven propo.
The Mediterranean-style dietary pattern and mortality among men and women with cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND The role of the Mediterranean diet among individuals with previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) is uncertain. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the association between the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED) score and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in men and women with CVD from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses' Health Study. DESIGN This study included 6137 men and 11,278 women with myocardial infarction, stroke, angina pectoris, coronary bypass, and coronary angioplasty. Diet was first assessed in 1986 for men and in 1980 for women with a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and then repeatedly every 2-4 y. Cumulative consumption was calculated with all available FFQs from the diagnosis of CVD to the end of the follow-up in 2008. RESULTS During a median follow-up of 7.7 y (IQR: 4.2-11.8) for men and 5.8 y (IQR: 3.8-8.0) for women, we documented 1982 deaths (1142 from CVD and 344 from cancer) among men and 1468 deaths (666 from CVD and 197 from cancer) among women. In multivariable Cox regression models, the pooled RR of all-cause mortality from a comparison of the top with the bottom quintiles of the aMED score was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.91; P-trend < 0.001). The corresponding pooled RR for CVD mortality was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.67, 1.09; P-trend = 0.30), for cancer mortality was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.65, 1.11; P-trend = 0.10), and for other causes was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.97; P-trend = 0.01). A 2-point increase in adherence to the aMED score was associated with a 7% (95% CI: 3%, 11%) reduction in the risk of total mortality. CONCLUSION Adherence to a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern was associated with lower all-cause mortality in individuals with CVD.
Digestion in the pig between 7 and 35 d of age

1. In two separate experiments, forty-four pigs weaned at 4–5 d of age were given diets containing milk or soya-bean proteins until slaughtered at 14, 28 or 35 d of age. 2. The retention times of digesta in the stomach and the entire gastro-intestinal tract did not differ between pigs given pelleted diets containing milk or soya-bean protein. 3. Digesta retention times in the stomach were shorter (61 v. 146 min) in pigs given a milk-protein diet in a liquid form than in pigs given the same diet in a pelleted form. The retention times in the whole gastro-intestinal tract were 42.8 v. 29.6 h on the respective diets. 4. The total retention time of digesta in the gastro-intestinal tract increased with age of pigs between 14–35 d of age when given pelleted diets but not when given a liquid diet. 5. The daily amount of digesta flowing through the anterior small intestine was unaffected by the source of protein. Greater endogenous secretions into the anterior small intestine were observed when pigs were fed ad lib. than when fed at 2 g nitrogen (45 g dry matter (DM))/kg live weight0.75 per d. 6. The apparent digestion of DM to the ileum of pigs given milk, isolated soya-bean protein (ISP) (Promine D) or soya-bean meal (SBM) protein at 28 d of age was 0.826, 0.825 and 0.644 respectively. 7. The apparent digestion of DM to the ileum of pigs given ISP (Supro 610) significantly increased with age of pigs from 0.851 at 14 d of age to 0.883 at 35 d of age. No increase was observed for pigs given milk protein. 8. Differences in the digestibility of DM between protein sources were greater to the ileum than over the entire gastro-intestinal tract. The greatest increase in DM digestion from the ileum to the faeces occurred in pigs given SBM (0.644–0.874). 9. Neither the protein source nor age of pigs influenced gastric pH values, the mean value being 4.05. pH increased along the small intestine and was not affected by the protein source or age of pig.