Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resolving the nanoscale adhesion of individual gecko spatulae by atomic force microscopy

Animals that cling to walls and walk on ceilings owe this ability to micron and nanoscale attachment elements. The highest adhesion forces are encountered in geckoes, which have developed intricate hierarchical structures consisting of toes (millimetre dimensions), lamella (400–600 μm size), setae (micron dimensions) and spatulae (∼200 nm size). Adhesion forces of setae on different substrates have previously been measured by a micro-electromechanical system technique. Here we report the first successful experiments in which the force–displacement curves were determined for individual spatulae by atomic force microscopy. The adhesion force for these smallest elements of the gecko's attachment system is reproducibly found to be about 10 nN. This method sheds new light on the nanomechanisms of attachment and will help in the rational design of artificial attachment systems.
Coherence peak and superconducting energy gap in Rb3C60 observed by muon spin relaxation.

Muon spin relaxation resulting from spin exchange scattering of endohedral muonium (μ+e-) with thermal electronic excitations has been observed in the fullerene superconductor Rb3C60. The temperature dependence of T1-1 shows a coherence peak just below Tc and can be fit to the conventional Hebel-Slichter theory for spin relaxation in a superconductor with a broadened BCS density of states. The average energy gap for electronic excitations, Δ/kB=53(4) K or 2Δ/kBTc=3.6(3), is consistent with the BCS weak coupling limit.
Scaphotrapezial Arthritis after a Carpometacarpal Fusion in a Patient with Marfan’s Syndrome: Case Report

We report a case of scaphotrapezial arthritis that developed in a patient with Marfan’s syndrome many years after a carpometacarpal fusion, which placed the thumb metacarpal in adduction. This problem was effectively treated with an abduction/opposition osteotomy, which both increased the patient’s first web space and improved her arthritic symptoms.
CMOS transformer-based uneven Doherty power amplifier for WLAN applications

This paper reports a fully integrated Doherty power amplifier in standard 90 nm CMOS technology for 2.4 GHz WLAN applications. An asymmetrical series combining transformer is used as the Doherty combiner to enhance the efficiency at power back-off. The two-stage uneven Doherty PA has 18 dB gain and produces 26.3 dBm saturated output power, with a peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 33% by using 2 V supply voltage. The PAE at 6 dB back-off is still as high as 25.1%. The PA is tested with 54 Mbps WLAN 802.11g signal and meets the stringent EVM and spectral mask requirements at 19.3 dBm average output power with a PAE of 22.9% with no need of predistortion. Then, an open loop digital predistortion is applied to further improve the linearity. The PA satisfies WLAN requirements at 20.2 dBm average output power with a PAE of 24.7% with predistortion.
Dopamine neurons encode performance error in singing birds

Birds of a feather sing together How do birds know that a song that they hear is from a member of their own species, and how do they learn their songs in the first place? Araki et al. identified two types of brain cells involved in how finches learn their songs (see the Perspective by Tchernichovski and Lipkind). When zebra finches were raised by Bengalese finch foster parents, they learned a song whose morphology resembled that of their foster father. However, the temporal structure remained zebra finch–specific, suggesting that it is innate. Gadagkar et al. recorded activity in specific dopamine neurons in singing zebra finches while controlling perceived song quality with distorted auditory feedback. This distorted feedback represented worse performance than predicted and resulted in negative prediction errors. These findings suggest again that finches have an innate internal goal for their learned songs. Science, this issue p. 1282, p. 1234; see also p. 1278 Zebra finch brains compare the quality of their song relative to internal benchmarks. Many behaviors are learned through trial and error by matching performance to internal goals. Yet neural mechanisms of performance evaluation remain poorly understood. We recorded basal ganglia–projecting dopamine neurons in singing zebra finches as we controlled perceived song quality with distorted auditory feedback. Dopamine activity was phasically suppressed after distorted syllables, consistent with a worse-than-predicted outcome, and was phasically activated at the precise moment of the song when a predicted distortion did not occur, consistent with a better-than-predicted outcome. Error response magnitude depended on distortion probability. Thus, dopaminergic error signals can evaluate behaviors that are not learned for reward and are instead learned by matching performance outcomes to internal goals.
Data mining techniques in Indian healthcare: A short review

Healthcare is a fast-growing field in developed and developing countries alike. Indian healthcare has also witnessed rapid growth in the recent past. The data generated is of very high volume and exhibit wide diversity, and hence data mining opportunities available in various areas of health care industry are immense. In this paper, a brief review of data mining applications in healthcare has been presented. The key differentiating factors of the paper is its focus on India and a patient lifecycle oriented view of the problems. As found by the study, most of the researches have been focused on predicting a disease which is a part of ongoing care management. This paper presents many uncharted areas of future research in this domain especially in Indian context.
Paramagnetic moment in field-cooled superconducting plates: Paramagnetic Meissner effect.

We calculate the magnetic moment for thin superconducting plates after field cooling. We consider the situation when the whole magnetic flux is trapped within the strip and compressed due to inhomogeneous cooling. We demonstrate that the magnetic moment in such a state is paramagnetic. For a thin superconducting strip we found exact solutions for the field and current distributions at any degree of flux compression. The cases of complete and partial Bean states were considered. For a thin superconducting disk we found an approximate solution for the case of weak compression and a complete Bean state. The mechanism considered can explain the paramagnetic Meissner effect observed recently in some high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ superconductors and in Nb.
Enumeration on Trees under Relabelings

We study how to evaluate MSO queries with free variables on trees, within the framework of enumeration algorithms. Previous work has shown how to enumerate answers with linear-time preprocessing and delay linear in the size of each output, i.e., constant-delay for free first-order variables. We extend this result to support relabelings, a restricted kind of update operations on trees which allows us to change the node labels. Our main result shows that we can enumerate the answers of MSO queries on trees with linear-time preprocessing and delay linear in each answer, while supporting node relabelings in logarithmic time. To prove this, we reuse the circuit-based enumeration structure from our earlier work, and develop techniques to maintain its index under node relabelings. We also show how enumeration under relabelings can be applied to evaluate practical query languages, such as aggregate, group-by, and parameterized queries.
Solving Noisy, Large-Scale Fixed-Point Problems and Systems of Nonlinear Equations

Many complex transportation models can be formulated as fixed-point problems. Typical examples are the equilibrium-like models, motivated by the need to capture the interaction between the transport supply (that is, the infrastructure) and transport demand (that is, travelers behavior) in various ways. In this paper, we propose a new approach for solving fixed-point problems and, equivalently, systems of nonlinear equations. It is a generalization of secant methods, and uses several previous iterates to generate a linear approximation of the nonlinear function. Although it belongs to the quasi-Newton family of methods, our algorithm is matrix free, allowing it to solve large-scale systems of equations without derivative and without any particular assumption about the structure of the problem or its Jacobian. Computational experiments on standard problems show that this algorithm outperforms classical, large-scale quasi-Newton methods in terms of efficiency and robustness. Its numerical performances are similar to Newton-Krylov methods currently considered as the best algorithms to solve large-scale nonlinear systems of equations. Furthermore, our approach, using multiple previous iterates to build a linear approximation of the nonlinear function, exhibits robust behavior in the presence of noise in the equations, which makes it particularly well adapted to transportation problems. We run our algorithm on a simple origin-destination (OD) matrix estimation problem and on some instances of the consistent anticipatory route guidance (CARG) problem, to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method and to show its significant superiority to the classical method of successive averages (MSA). Regarding size, we were able to solve a CARG problem with more than 120,000 variables. We were also able to solve classical problems with up to two million variables.
Glucocorticoids for acute viral bronchiolitis in infants and young children.

BACKGROUND Previous systematic reviews have not shown clear benefit of glucocorticoids for acute viral bronchiolitis, but their use remains considerable. Recent large trials add substantially to current evidence and suggest novel glucocorticoid-including treatment approaches. OBJECTIVES To review the efficacy and safety of systemic and inhaled glucocorticoids in children with acute viral bronchiolitis. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2012, Issue 12), MEDLINE (1950 to January week 2, 2013), EMBASE (1980 to January 2013), LILACS (1982 to January 2013), Scopus® (1823 to January 2013) and IRAN MedEx (1998 to November 2009). SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing short-term systemic or inhaled glucocorticoids versus placebo or another intervention in children under 24 months with acute bronchiolitis (first episode with wheezing). Our primary outcomes were: admissions by days 1 and 7 for outpatient studies; and length of stay (LOS) for inpatient studies. Secondary outcomes included clinical severity parameters, healthcare use, pulmonary function, symptoms, quality of life and harms. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently extracted data on study and participant characteristics, interventions and outcomes. We assessed risk of bias and graded strength of evidence. We meta-analysed inpatient and outpatient results separately using random-effects models. We pre-specified subgroup analyses, including the combined use of bronchodilators used in a protocol. MAIN RESULTS We included 17 trials (2596 participants); three had low overall risk of bias. Baseline severity, glucocorticoid schemes, comparators and outcomes were heterogeneous. Glucocorticoids did not significantly reduce outpatient admissions by days 1 and 7 when compared to placebo (pooled risk ratios (RRs) 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78 to 1.08 and 0.86; 95% CI 0.7 to 1.06, respectively). There was no benefit in LOS for inpatients (mean difference -0.18 days; 95% CI -0.39 to 0.04). Unadjusted results from a large factorial low risk of bias RCT found combined high-dose systemic dexamethasone and inhaled epinephrine reduced admissions by day 7 (baseline risk of admission 26%; RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.44 to 0.95; number needed to treat 11; 95% CI 7 to 76), with no differences in short-term adverse effects. No other comparisons showed relevant differences in primary outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Current evidence does not support a clinically relevant effect of systemic or inhaled glucocorticoids on admissions or length of hospitalisation. Combined dexamethasone and epinephrine may reduce outpatient admissions, but results are exploratory and safety data limited. Future research should further assess the efficacy, harms and applicability of combined therapy.
A new species of Metagovea Rosas Costa, 1950 from Napo Province, Ecuador (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Neogoveidae)

Abstract As a result of an expedition to Ecuador in 2014, a new species of mite harvestman was discovered. This new species belonging to the genus Metagovea Rosas Costa, 1950 – Metagovea ligiae sp. n. – is described, based on male and female specimens from Napo Province, Ecuador. This is the fourth species described for the genus and the second from Ecuador. A simple terminology is proposed for the microtrichiae of the spermatopositor and genital characters in the family are discussed. The genus Brasiliogovea Martens, 1969 is consistently misspelled in the literature as Brasilogovea. The description of Metagovea ligiae offered opportunity to discuss some aspects of systematics of the family.
Speed Control of a Multiphase Active Way Linear Motor Based on Back EMF Estimation

This paper presents the implementation and the experimental validation of the speed controller, without position measurement, of an active way linear synchronous motor with multiphase independent supply. The proposed method is based on the back electromotive force estimation. The main drawback of this strategy is that it does not work at standstill. This paper also presents a second contactless method that, by making use of Hall sensors, allows starting the glider from standstill. These two methods have been implemented on a prototype, to demonstrate the feasibility of the speed control of the active way linear motor without position measurement cables.
Theory of ESPAR Design With Their Implementation in Large Arrays

A generalized formulation as well as a simple design approach is presented for electronically steerable parasitic array radiators (ESPAR). Based on the presented design procedure, a low-cost rectangular dielectric resonator parasitic phased array antenna is designed. An E-plane linear dielectric resonator phased array coupled to symmetric narrow slot apertures is investigated. The driven element is mutually coupled to the parasitic elements and reactive loads are utilized to control the phase to achieve a particular beam scanning direction. The use of low-cost reactive loads instead of expensive conventional phase shifters allows for more economic fabrication. Based on this design, a five elements planar array is designed and measured. In addition, a large array using ESPAR subarrays is presented.
The Role of Water Intake on Cardiac Vagal Reactivation after Upper-body Resistance Exercise

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the hypothesis that water intake will accelerate cardiac vagal reactivation after a single session of upper-body resistance exercise. 13 healthy men (26.5±5.9 years) with previous experience in resistance training were enrolled. In visits 1 and 2, participants performed the one-repetition maximum (1RM) test and retest with the bench press exercise. The sessions 3 and 4 were performed randomly, while participants consumed 500 ml (experimental visit) or 50 ml (control visit) of water immediately after 3 sets of maximum repetitions at 80% of 1RM. Cardiac vagal activity was represented by cardiac vagal index (CVI) measured before, immediately after and 30 min post-exercise. Additionally, heart rate and blood pressure were measured. The results show that CVI was higher 30 min post-exercise when 500 ml of water was ingested compared to 50 ml (1.39±0.07 vs. 1.23±0.07; p=0.02) (mean±SEM). Heart rate and blood pressure values were similar in both trials. We conclude that water intake accelerates post-resistance exercise cardiac vagal reactivation. These findings suggest that hydration after resistance exercise might be beneficial for cardiovascular safety in healthy subjects.
Silencing of the glycerophosphocholine phosphodiesterase GDPD5 alters the phospholipid metabolite profile in a breast cancer model in vivo as monitored by 31P MRS

Abnormal choline phospholipid metabolism is an emerging hallmark of cancer, which is implicated in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. The malignant metabolic phenotype is characterized by high levels of phosphocholine (PC) and relatively low levels of glycerophosphocholine (GPC) in aggressive breast cancer cells. Phosphorus (31P) MRS is able to non‐invasively detect these water‐soluble metabolites of choline as well as ethanolamine phospholipid metabolism. Here we have investigated the effects of stably silencing glycerophosphoester diesterase domain containing 5 (GDPD5), which is an enzyme with glycerophosphocholine phosphodiesterase activity, in MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells and orthotopic tumor xenografts. Tumors in which GDPD5 was stably silenced with GDPD5‐specific shRNA contained increased levels of GPC and phosphoethanolamine (PE) compared with control tumors. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic pH junction‐sweeping capillary electrophoresis for online preconcentration of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Chinese herbal medicine

There is a need to develop simple yet effective preconcentration methods to enhance concentration sensitivity for CE analysis of trace level analytes in real samples, particularly when commonly available but less sensitive detection methods, e.g., UV detection, are used. In this report, a hyphenated online preconcentration strategy combining dynamic pH junction with sweeping (i.e., dynamic pH junction‐sweeping) was employed for the analysis of four toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) of senkirkine, senecionine, retrorsine, and seneciphylline in Chinese herbal medicine (Kuan donghua). Direct electrokinetically focusing of a large sample volume injection (up to 20% of capillary length) on the capillary was performed using the dynamic pH junction‐sweeping method. A sample matrix consisting of 10 mM phosphate with 20% methanol at pH 4.0 and a BGE containing 20 mM borate, 30 mM SDS, and 20% methanol at pH 9.1 were utilized to realize dynamic pH junction‐sweeping for PAs. This online preconcentration strategy resulted in sensitivity enhancement factors ranging from 23.8‐ to 90.0‐fold for the four toxic PAs, giving an LOD as low as 30 ppb for the PAs. Critical factors such as sample matrix type, pH, and salt concentration were also examined to achieve higher sensitivity enhancement, shorter analysis time, and better resolution. The results indicate that the proposed dynamic pH junction‐sweeping technique is a powerful alternative approach for identification and determination of trace levels of these toxic PAs and other hydrophobic, protonatable compounds in real samples.
Biological evidence that human papillomaviruses are etiologically involved in a subgroup of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

High‐risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been proposed to be associated with a subset of head and neck cancers (HNSCCs). However, clear biological evidence linking HPV‐mediated oncogenesis to the development of HNSCC is hardly available. An important biological mechanism underlying HPV‐mediated carcinogenesis is the inactivation of p53 by the HPV E6 oncoprotein. In the present study we investigated this biological relationship between HPV and HNSCC. In total 84 HNSCC tumors were analyzed for the presence of high‐risk HPV nucleic acids by DNA polymerase chain reaction‐enzyme immunoassay (PCR‐EIA) and E6 reverse transcriptase (RT)‐PCR as well as for the presence of mutations in the p53 gene. We found 20/84 HPV16 DNA‐positive cases with one or more DNA assays, 10 of which were consistently positive with all assays. Only 9/20 cases showed E6 mRNA expression, indicative for viral activity. Only these nine E6 mRNA‐positive cases all lacked a p53 mutation, whereas both the other HPV DNA‐positive and HPV‐DNA negative tumors showed p53 mutations in 36% and 63% of the cases, respectively. Moreover, only in lymph node metastases of HPV E6 mRNA‐positive tumors both viral DNA and E6 mRNA were present. Our study provides strong biological evidence for a plausible etiological role of high‐risk HPV in a subgroup of HNSCC. Analysis of E6 mRNA expression by RT‐PCR or alternatively, semiquantitative analyses of the viral load, seem more reliable assays to assess HPV involvement in HNSCC than the very sensitive DNA PCR analyses used routinely. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Activity of 30 different cheeses on cholesterol plasma levels and Oxidative Balance Risk Index (OBRI) in a rat model

Abstract Background: Cheese is considered to increase the total cholesterol levels (CH) due to the high-saturated fat content. New models are needed to measure the relationship between cholesterol and cheese. Methods: Thirty different cheeses produced in Val Brembana, Italy (“furmai da mut”, “caprino” and “stracchino”), were added to the diet of 30 groups of 4 rats. Cheeses were analyzed to differentiate the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the cholesterol content (Chf). The body weight, CH, urine volume and oxidative balance were measured. Three new indexes in relation to CH were calculated: OI (oxidative index), PI (protective index) and OBRI (oxidative balance risk index). Results: None of the cheeses increased CH. Some of the “furmai de mut” were significantly decreasing CH and improved the oxidative balance. Chf was not affecting the CH levels in plasma. In terms of VOCs, the acetic acid content was correlated (p < 0.05) with the CH reduction and PI improvement. OBRI was reduced mainly in the “stracchino group”. Conclusions: The model shows that some cheese can reduce significantly CH levels and improve the antioxidant capacity.
Expression of Dishevelled‐1 in wound healing after acute myocardial infarction: possible involvement in myofibroblast proliferation and migration

One of our previous studies indicated that the expression of β‐catenin, which is the key factor of wnt‐frizzled pathway, increased significantly in the ischemic area of the rat heart 7 days after myocardial infarction (MI). Together with the results of other recent studies, we made an assumption that wnt‐frizzled pathway may be involved in the controlled cell proliferation and migration during repair processes after MI. To verify this assumption we tried to investigate the expression of another signal transduction molecule called Dishevelled in wnt‐frizzled pathway during the wound healing process after MI. The left descending coronary arteries of rats were ligated to induce MI. Immunohistochemistry SABC method and in situ hybridization were performed to detect the expression of Dishevelled‐1. The results showed, that one day after MI, Dishevelled‐1 mRNA but not protein expression was detected in the cells at the border zone of the infarction area; 4 days after MI the expression of Dishevelled‐1 increased exclusively and cytoplasmic Dishevelled‐1 was observed not only at the border zone but also in the infarct area; 7 days after MI, it seems that the expression reached its peak, the positive staining even spread into the endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the newly formed and pre‐existing blood vessels in the infarction area; after that the Dishevelled‐1 expression decreased abruptly and could hardly be detected 28 days after MI. Thus cytoplasmic Dishevelled‐1 may be involved in the controlled proliferation and migration of myofibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells, hence play a role during the wound healing process after MI.