Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mangrove expansion and salt marsh decline at mangrove poleward limits

Mangroves are species of halophytic intertidal trees and shrubs derived from tropical genera and are likely delimited in latitudinal range by varying sensitivity to cold. There is now sufficient evidence that mangrove species have proliferated at or near their poleward limits on at least five continents over the past half century, at the expense of salt marsh. Avicennia is the most cold‐tolerant genus worldwide, and is the subject of most of the observed changes. Avicennia germinans has extended in range along the USA Atlantic coast and expanded into salt marsh as a consequence of lower frost frequency and intensity in the southern USA. The genus has also expanded into salt marsh at its southern limit in Peru, and on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Mangroves of several species have expanded in extent and replaced salt marsh where protected within mangrove reserves in Guangdong Province, China. In south‐eastern Australia, the expansion of Avicennia marina into salt marshes is now well documented, and Rhizophora stylosa has extended its range southward, while showing strong population growth within estuaries along its southern limits in northern New South Wales. Avicennia marina has extended its range southwards in South Africa. The changes are consistent with the poleward extension of temperature thresholds coincident with sea‐level rise, although the specific mechanism of range extension might be complicated by limitations on dispersal or other factors. The shift from salt marsh to mangrove dominance on subtropical and temperate shorelines has important implications for ecological structure, function, and global change adaptation.
Chinese Students In U.S. Universities: A Qualitative Study Of Cross-cultural Learning Experiences, Transition And Adaptation

Chinese students represent the largest single group among international students enrolled in the U.S, and globalization has played an important role in impacting Chinese students’ perceptions of what it means to study abroad. According to The Wall Street Journal, there are 85 percent more international students enrolled today in U.S. schools than ten years ago, adding more than 35 billion dollars to the nation’s economy in 2015 (Belkin & Purnell, 2017). This qualitative study adds to the limited research available regarding Chinese students’ cross-cultural transition and academic adaptation to American universities (Kusek, 2015; Yan & Berliner, 2009). Findings add a new perspective regarding the students’ perceptions and expectations in China compared to their true experiences in the U.S. universities. Results show that, despite significant barriers, Chinese students are eventually able to transition and adapt to the new surroundings. \r Implications of findings can help in the development of effective strategies and programs to facilitate these students’ transition and adaptation in U.S. higher education institutions.
Increased serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and plasma angiotensin II levels during pregnancy and postpartum in the diabetic rat

Objective The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure, electrolyte balance and renal function in normal human pregnancy. The present study was designed to assess various components of the RAS and renal function during pregnancy and immediately after pregnancy in the streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rat. Methods Pregnant Wistar rats were allocated to three groups: I- control, non-diabetic rats (n=24), II- STZ-diabetic rats (STZ 55 mg/kg body weight, i.v. on day 10 of pregnancy, n=24), III- diabetic rats, as above, treated with insulin (4 units/day, s.c. n=21). On days 17—18 of pregnancy, or within 24 hours after delivery, the rats were sacrificed and the various components of the RAS were determined. Results Urinary protein excretion (UP) and creatinine clearance (CCr) were greater in group II, four days after STZ, than in group I (UP: I-7.6±2.8, II-18.6±6.3 mg/24-hour, p<0.001, CCr: I-1.04±0.33, II-2.38±0.7 ml/minute, p<0.001). Mean (±SD) serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) levels at days 17—18 of pregnancy were greater in the untreated diabetic rats than in control pregnant rats (ACE: 163±18 vs . 111±21 nmol/ml/minute, p<0.001, Ang II: 115±45 vs. 43±10 pg/ml, p<0.005). Postpartum serum ACE activity and plasma Ang II levels were greater in group II (ACE: I-123±14, II-142±24, III-108±21 nmol/ml/minute, p<0.01, Ang II: I-56±38, II-148±62, III-38±17 pg/ml, p<0.001). ACE activity in the lung was greater, whereas the activity in the renal cortex was less, in group II than in group I. Kidney weight in untreated diabetic rats was greater than in the other two groups. Conclusion Increased serum ACE activity during pregnancy and postpartum in the untreated diabetic rat is associated with enhanced serum Ang II levels, which may contribute to increased protein excretion and renal hypertrophy.
Peri-implant tissue response to TiO2 surface modified implants.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate peri-implant soft tissue attachment and alveolar bone height on nanoporous TiO(2) thin film on commercial titanium dental implants compared with unmodified standard implants. MATERIAL AND METHODS In six adult beagle dogs, the mandibular premolars P2-P4 were extracted bilaterally. Sol-gel-derived nanoporous TiO(2) thin film was produced on smooth coronal part of standard ITI Straumann implants (4.1 mm x 8.0 mm) by dip coating method. After 3 months healing period of the extraction sockets modified (n=24) and unmodified (n=11) control implants were placed bilaterally. The animals were killed after 8 weeks and the samples were retrieved and processed for histologic/histomorfometric and TEM/SEM evaluations. RESULTS Histological examination showed mild or absent inflammatory reaction in peri-implant connective tissues around the surface modified implants. Further, junctional epithelium (JE)/connective tissue (CT) appeared to be in immediate contact with the experimental implants. Of the experimental implants, 22% were judged to be detached from the implant surface while 45% of the untreated control implants were detached. Dense plaques of hemidesmosomes were found in TEM evaluation of the JE cell membrane facing the surface-treated implants. In the histomorfometric analysis, the distance between the implant margin and alveolar bone crest was significantly shorter in surface-treated implants than in the control implants (P<0.02). CONCLUSION Nanoporous sol-gel-derived TiO(2) thin film on ITI Straumann dental implants improved soft tissue attachment in vivo.
Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Exposure‐Toxicity Relationship of a Folate‐Vinca Alkaloid Conjugate EC145 in Cancer Patients

The clinical pharmacokinetics and exposure‐toxicity relationship were determined for EC145, a conjugate of folic acid and the Vinca alkaloid desacetylvinblastine hydrazide (DAVLBH), in cancer patients. EC145 plasma concentration and toxicity data were obtained from a first‐in‐man phase I study and analyzed by nonlinear mixed effect modeling with NONMEM. EC145 concentration‐time profile after intravenous administration was well described by a 2‐compartment model with a first‐order elimination process from the central compartment. BSA was identified as a significant covariate on EC145 clearance, accounting for 14.6% of interindividual variation on EC145 clearance. Population estimates for the clearance, steady‐state volume of distribution, distribution, and elimination half‐lives were 56.1 L/h, 26.1 L, 6 minutes, and 26 minutes, respectively. Constipation and peripheral neuropathy were the most common and clinically relevant toxicities. The clearance and area under the concentration‐time curve (AUC) were significant predictors for the incidence of EC145‐induced constipation but not peripheral neuropathy. In conclusion, EC145 is rapidly distributed and eliminated in cancer patients. BSA is a statistically significant covariate on EC145 clearance, but its clinical relevance remains to be defined. EC145‐induced constipation occurs at a higher frequency in the patients with lower EC145 clearance, where the drug exposure tends to be higher.
Third metacarpal bone laterality asymmetry and midshaft dimensions in Thoroughbred racehorses.

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to test whether longer third metacarpal (MC3) bones had thicker dorsal cortices in a group of racehorses that were exercising at similar maximum speeds, and to establish if horses with larger differences in length between their right and left MC3 bones showed larger differences in the dorsal cortical thickness between the two limbs. DESIGN An observational study. PROCEDURE Forty Thoroughbred racehorses aged between 2 and 6 years and in training at racing speed at two racing stables were used. Two sets of radiographs of each left and right metacarpus of each horse were measured for bone length and dorsal cortical width according to standardised methods. RESULTS The dorsal cortex thickness showed a linear relationship with bone length for the range of lengths between 25 and 30 cm for both the right MC3 (R2 = 0.30, P = 0.0003) and the left (R2 = 0.23, P = 0.002). The longer bones had thicker dorsal cortices. When results from the two limbs were combined to test if the difference in length between the right and left MC3 in an individual horse was associated with a thicker dorsal cortex in the longer MC3 there was no consistent relationship (R2 = 0.008, P = 0.58). CONCLUSION In this sample of racehorses longer MC3 bones were likely to have been exposed to a greater dorsopalmar bending moment at the mid shaft that was reflected in a thicker dorsal cortex. The lack of a relationship between midshaft thickness and bone length within individual horses suggests that direct mechanical effects of conformation and environment were less important than the individual's level of skill (or the degree of laterality in their movements) developed before their exposure to fast exercise. It is likely that racehorses with longer right MC3 bones were more able to control the loading of the right MC3 than the left during fast exercise.
Platinum-based Chemotherapy in Primary Advanced Seminoma—a Retrospective Analysis: Treatment Results at the Northern Israel Oncology Center (1989–2010)

Objective: Over the past 30 years, great strides have been made in the treatment of disseminated testicular tumors. Despite the low number of patients and the rarity of studies concerning primary advanced seminoma, the efficacy of chemotherapy is clear, mainly 3–4-cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Aiming to contribute to the understanding and implementation of proper chemotherapeutic management in advanced seminoma patients, we retrospectively summarized our experience with 26 patients who were referred for platinum-based chemotherapy, post-orchiectomy to the Northern Israel Oncology Center between 1989 and 2010. Response rate, side effects, and long-term outcome were investigated. Methods: Before chemotherapy, meticulous staging was done, including tumor markers (B-human chorionic gonadotropin (B-HCG), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH)), and abdominal and pelvic computerized tomography (CT) scans were carried out. Results: All 26 treated patients achieved complete remission, clinically and symptomatically, with normalization of their CT scans. At a median follow-up of 120 months (range, 24–268 months) all patients are alive, without evidence of recurrent disease. One patient whose disease recurred twice achieved a third complete remission following salvage treatment with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation. Another patient, who preferred surveillance, relapsed abdominally after 9 months but achieved long-standing complete remission with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Both these patients are alive with no evidence of disease. Three patients recovered uneventfully from bleomycin-induced pneumonitis. Conclusions: Advanced seminoma is a highly curable disease using platinum-based chemotherapy. Our study confirms the efficacy and safety of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced seminoma.
Exploring the formation mechanisms of urban residents’ travel behaviour in China: perceptions of travel benefits and travel constraints

ABSTRACT Previous studies have examined the perceived benefits (PBs) and percveived constraints (PCs) of travel and/or leisure participation, but it remains somewhat unclear how these perceptions influence travel behaviour. Thus, a conceptual model was constructed aimed at describing the effects of PBs and PCs on urban residents’ travel behaviour. Results from 519 urban residents in Changsha, China, revealed that attitude played a mediating role between perceived travel benefits and travel behaviours (TBs), while attitude-expressive behavior (AEBs) acted as a mediator between attitude and TBs. Additionally, PCs were found to have a direct negative influence on TBs and PBs, and PCs positively influenced TBs through constraint negotiation strategies(CNSs). These findings confirm the mediating effect of CNSs on the relationship between PBs, PCs, and TBs, and indicate that there are several basic patterns underlying urban residents’ TBs. Specific implications for practice and theory are discussed.
The Brain Network of Naming: A Lesson from Primary Progressive Aphasia

Objective Word finding depends on the processing of semantic and lexical information, and it involves an intermediate level for mapping semantic-to-lexical information which also subserves lexical-to-semantic mapping during word comprehension. However, the brain regions implementing these components are still controversial and have not been clarified via a comprehensive lesion model encompassing the whole range of language-related cortices. Primary progressive aphasia (PPA), for which anomia is thought to be the most common sign, provides such a model, but the exploration of cortical areas impacting naming in its three main variants and the underlying processing mechanisms is still lacking. Methods We addressed this double issue, related to language structure and PPA, with thirty patients (11 semantic, 12 logopenic, 7 agrammatic variant) using a picture-naming task and voxel-based morphometry for anatomo-functional correlation. First, we analyzed correlations for each of the three variants to identify the regions impacting naming in PPA and to disentangle the core regions of word finding. We then combined the three variants and correlation analyses for naming (semantic-to-lexical mapping) and single-word comprehension (lexical-to-semantic mapping), predicting an overlap zone corresponding to a bidirectional lexical-semantic hub. Results and Conclusions Our results showed that superior portions of the left temporal pole and left posterior temporal cortices impact semantic and lexical naming mechanisms in semantic and logopenic PPA, respectively. In agrammatic PPA naming deficits were rare, and did not correlate with any cortical region. Combined analyses revealed a cortical overlap zone in superior/middle mid-temporal cortices, distinct from the two former regions, impacting bidirectional binding of lexical and semantic information. Altogether, our findings indicate that lexical/semantic word processing depends on an anterior-posterior axis within lateral-temporal cortices, including an anatomically intermediate hub dedicated to lexical-semantic integration. Within this axis our data reveal the underpinnings of anomia in the PPA variants, which is of relevance for both diagnosis and future therapy strategies.
In vivo MR microscopy of the human skin

The requirements for imaging the skin are dictated by the organ's layered structure, which extends only a few millimeters from the surface and thus demands extremely high resolution in this direction. While less critical, resolution in the remaining two dimensions determines whether the skin's accessory structures can be resolved. The problem is compounded by short transverse relaxation times, in particular of the dermis, the structure of most clinical interest. In this work images of the normal human skin were obtained in vivo at voxel sizes as small as 19 × 78 × 800 μm3, by means of customized 3D gradient and partial flip‐angle spin‐echo pulse sequences and very small transmit/receive coils on a 1.5T clinical imager equipped with high‐power whole‐body gradients. Structures resolved include hair follicles and the sublayers of the dermis. The very short time constant for the major component (91 %) for transverse relaxation in the dermis (T2* ∼10 ms) suggests the potential of substantial gains in achievable signal‐to‐noise ratio by shortening the echo time.
Scientific literature on higher education rankings: a systematic review

A systematic review of scientific literature on university rankings is presented. This research has focused on the methodology used for the investigators in the reported publications. According to the search criteria 28 articles were included, from social and humanities ISI and Scopus database during the 2000-2012 period. The keywords used were: “rankings”, “higher education” and “university The focus of the analysis was on La literatura científica sobre rankings universitarios: una revisión sistemática 34 REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 2015, 13 (núm. 3), 33-54 the following criteria : keywords , publication year, citation references, the subject area, met criteria, geographical scope , research methodology and methods impact of results, language of publication, citation index ,impact and assessment of the rankings. The results of the systematic review show that the publications have a more quantitative than qualitative orientation (n=22 vs. n=6), the approaches are more general than specific (n=21 vs. n=7) and the impact is more generalized than local (n=24 vs. n=4). Moreover, the highest number of the references were published between 2005-2010. We conclude that there is a growing interest and concern for studies focused on the research of university rankings.
In Vivo IVUS-Based 3-D Fluid–Structure Interaction Models With Cyclic Bending and Anisotropic Vessel Properties for Human Atherosclerotic Coronary Plaque Mechanical Analysis

In this paper, a modeling approach combining in vivo intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, computational modeling, angiography, and mechanical testing is proposed to perform mechanical analysis for human coronary atherosclerotic plaques for potential more accurate plaque vulnerability assessment. A 44-slice in vivo IVUS dataset of a coronary plaque was acquired from one patient, and four 3-D models with fluid-structure interactions (FSIs) based on the data were constructed to quantify effects of anisotropic vessel properties and cyclic bending of the coronary plaque on flow and plaque stress/strain conditions. Compared to the isotropic model (model 1, no bending, no axial stretch), maximum stress-P1 (maximum principal stress) values on the cut surface with maximum bending (where applicable) from model 2 (anisotropic, no bending, no stretch), model 3 (anisotropic, with bending, no stretch), and model 4 (anisotropic with bending and stretch) were, respectively, 63%, 126%, and 345% higher than that from model 1. Effects of cyclic bending on flow behaviors were modest (5%-15%). Our preliminary results indicated that in vivo IVUS-based FSI models with cyclic bending and anisotropic material properties could improve the accuracies of plaque stress/strain predictions and plaque vulnerability assessment. Large-scale patient studies are needed to further validate our findings.
Hello handsome! Male's facial attractiveness gives rise to female's fairness bias in Ultimatum Game scenarios—An ERP study

The current study delineated how male proposers’ facial attractiveness affect female responders’ fairness considerations and their subsequent decision outcome during the Ultimatum Game (UG). Event Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 17 female subjects, who played the role as responders and had to decide whether to accept offers from either attractive or unattractive male proposers. Behavioral data (Acceptance Ratio and Response time) revealed that, more offers were accepted from attractive-face conditions; subjects typically responded quicker to unfair offers from unattractive proposers as compared with slower to unfair offers from attractive proposers. The ERP data demonstrated similar N2 amplitudes elicited by both attractive and unattractive faces, and a larger early frontal LPP elicited by the attractive faces compared with unattractive ones, but no significant differences of both late posterior LPP and typical parietal LPP amplitudes were observed between these two face conditions, which was different from our previous study with similar paradigm but male participants. The results suggest that, in comparison to males, females might not experience the potential attention bias towards unattractive opposite-sex faces and are less likely to possess an enhanced processing and evaluation of those faces. This phenomenon might be explained by endogenous gender differences in mate preference. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P300 responses during an offer presentation were further measured in both attractive-face and unattractive-face conditions and the results demonstrated that the amplitudes elicited by fair and unfair offers were not statistically different in the former condition, but were different in the latter condition. More specifically, unfair offers generated larger FRN and smaller P300 than fair ones in the unattractive-face condition. Findings suggest that, although females tend to possess less salient evaluation of male’s facial attractiveness, the attractiveness of male proposers would still attenuate female responders’ fairness consideration during the UG.
The Role of Microscopy in Understanding Atherosclerotic Lysosomal Lipid Metabolism

Microscopy has played a critical role in first identifying and then defining the role of lysosomes in formation of atherosclerotic foam cells. We review the evidence implicating lysosomal lipid accumulation as a factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis with reference to the role of microscopy. In addition, we explore mechanisms by which lysosomal lipid engorgement occurs. Low density lipoproteins which have become modified are the major source of lipid for foam cell formation. These altered lipoproteins are taken into the cell via receptor-mediated endocytosis and delivered to lysosomes. Under normal conditions, lipids from these lipoproteins are metabolized and do not accumulate in lysosomes. In the atherosclerotic foam cell, this normal metabolism is inhibited so that cholesterol and cholesteryl esters accumulate in lysosomes. Studies of cultured cells incubated with modified lipoproteins suggests this abnormal metabolism occurs in two steps. Initially, hydrolysis of lipoprotein cholesteryl esters occurs normally, but the resultant free cholesterol cannot exit the lysosome. Further lysosomal cholesterol accumulation inhibits hydrolysis, producing a mixture of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters within swollen lysosomes. Various lipoprotein modifications can produce this lysosomal engorgement in vitro and it remains to be seen which modifications are most important in vivo.