Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Connections between Lateral Enamel Formation and Life History in New World Monkeys

ii Acknowledgments . iv Vita . v List of Tables . viii List of Figures . x Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Life History . 3 Dental Growth and Microstructure . 5 Previous Research on the Relationship between Dental Development and Life History. 9 Dental Eruption . 9 Total Crown Formation Time: Cuspal and Lateral . 10 Enamel Microstructures . 12 Perikymata Distribution . 14 Hypotheses . 16 Chapter 2: Materials and Methods . 19 Replica Sample . 19 Life History Variables . 23 vii Statistical Methods . 25 Principal Components Analysis . 25 Linear Regressions . 26 Multiple Linear Regressions . 26 Chapter 3: Results . 27 Descriptive Statistics . 27 Principal Components Analysis . 29 Linear Regressions . 32 Multiple Linear Regressions . 35 Chapter 4: Discussion . 37 Estimated Lateral Enamel Formation Time . 37 Percent of Perikymata in the Cerival Half of Crown . 40 Implications for Platyrrhine Biology and Environment. 42 Limitations . 43 Future Research . 43 Chapter 5: Conclusions . 45 References . 46 Appendix A: Additional Graphs . 51
Dynamics of LFA-1 in T lymphocytes

Integrins are heterodimeric transmembrane proteins that play an essential role during leukocyte migration to sites of infection or injury as well as during immunological synapse formation. The regulation of cell adhesion and motility is very complex and requires intracellular integrin trafficking to and from the adhesion sites especially in fast moving cells like leukocytes. LFA-1 is the main integrin expressed on T lymphocytes. In my thesis, we propose a model that identifies vesicleassociated RhoB as a novel regulator of Rab11-mediated recycling of surface-internalized LFA-1 along microtubules in T lymphocytes. Dysfunctional RhoB cause accumulation of both LFA-1 and Rab11 in the rear of migrating T lymphocytes. Rab4 does not compensate for this loss in RhoB-mediated Rab11-dependent LFA-1 recycling and T lymphocyte migration is consequently reduced. We also identify the phosphatase PTPN22 as a novel negative regulator of LFA-1 in migrating T lymphocytes. PTPN22 exists in large clusters that disperse upon LFA-1 engagement with ICAM-1. Declustered PTPN22 then associates with both its substrates and LFA-1 at the leading�edge of migrating T lymphocytes and subsequently inhibits LFA-1 clustering�and signaling. We also show that PTPN22 is an important regulator of LFA-1-mediated adhesion when T lymphocytes form immunological synapses with antigen-presenting cells (APCs). PTPN22 polarizes towards the immunological synapse and regulate LFA-1 affinity through its substrates. We additionally show that PTPN22W620, the SNP variant of PTPN22 that is associated with numerous autoimmune diseases, perturbs integrin function and is a loss-of-function variant, at least in the context of LFA-1 signaling. The failure of PTPN22W620 to be retained at the leading edge consequently limits its association potential with its substrates. It also enhances LFA-1 clustering at the leading edge, which further amplifies and sustains LFA-1 signal intensity and subsequently increases LFA-1-dependent adhesion. Leukocyte recruitment into an inflamed tissue is a central hallmark for a proper immune response. However, it is also a central hallmark for malignancy and for several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases where basic regulation of the immune response is lost. Targeting these processes is an attractive model to either enhance the immune system or suppress inflammation-induced tissue destruction. However, the relatively frequent occurrence of severe side effects is a big complication in integrin-targeted therapies and future targeting strategies need to be more specific. Studies on cell type-specific integrin signaling pathways and studies on specific molecular interactions within these pathways are therefor required before therapies can be developed.
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective potentials of miliusa velutina stem bark extract

Miliusa velutina (MV) stem bark has various medicinal uses, but its hepatoprotective effect has not yet been studied. This study investigated the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of the ethanol extract of MV stem bark against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury. The ethanol extract of MV stem bark was evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activity which exhibited good antioxidant activity in terms of ferric reducing-antioxidant power assay (EC50, FRAP=4.04±0.00 µg/mL), total antioxidant capacity assay (EC50, TAC=8.73±1.08 µg/mL) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (EC50, DPPH=9.33±0.07 µg/mL) radical scavenging assay. Mice were pretreated with CCl4 (2.5 mL/kg body wight per day) in 4 consecutive weeks. After one hour taking CCl4 by oral administration, mice were treated with the ethanol stem bark extract of MV at various concentrations of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight. The MV stem bark at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight effectively reduced the level of alanine transaminase (38±6.78 U/L) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in serum. Besides, the MV stem bark at the dose 400 mg/kg body weight reduced the malondialdehyde (3.12±1,19 nM MDA/g tissue) level, and increased the activity of reduced glutathione (896.21±22.69 nM GSH/g tissue) in liver. The observation of the microscopic cross section of liver tissue also revealed that the mice treated with stem bark extract of MV at the dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight had significantly improvement in liver tissues compared to the non-treated control group. Histological analyses of the MV-treated group exhibited reducing inflammatory process and preventing liver necrosis and fibrosis. In summary, the hepatoprotective effect of MV stem bark was seemingly associated with its antioxidant activity.
Praćenje dinamike promjene urinarne mikrobiote djelovanjem antibiotika sekvencioniranjem 16S rRNA gena

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most common bacterial infections. Most UTIs are caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli and they are more often present in women primarily due to anatomical reasons. Progress in sequencing technology allowed us to sequence environmental samples which enable sequencing of the non-culturable bacteria. The purpose of this study was to monitor changes in urinary microbiome in patient with UTI who receives antibiotic therapy. Monitoring was carried out by sequencing 16S rRNA gene, specifically V3 and V4 variable region using specially designed primes. It is shown that the pre-treatment sample has the lowest biodiversity. In that sample prevails an unknown Enterobacteiaceae bacteria, which is the cause of infection, with over 95%. The use of antibiotics leads to the rapid replace of urophatogenic bacteria with bacterial genera common in urinary microbiome – Lactobacillus. They have a protective role and help maintain normal microbiota.
Comparison Between Confined and Unconfined Laser Peening Effect on the Fatigue Life of Composite Materials

Mechanical Engineering Department/ University of TechnologyBaghdad. Confinement layer is considered as the most important parameter during the laser shock peening (LSP) treatment. In this paper, its effect on the surface treatment effectivity of composite materials was investigated. The composite used in this research was fabricated using hand lay-up as a manufacturing process. The matrix material was built from unsaturated polyester resin and reinforced with 2.5% volume fraction of micro particles of aluminum powder. Fatigue test was conducted at room temperature with constant amplitude stress and a stress ratio of R =-1, before and after LSP treatment. LSP was applied with and without confinement layer at the same level of energy after the specimens were coated with a black paint. The results manifested that the laser peening without confinement layer increased the endurance limit by about 13.296% compared with the untreated state. Whereas using water as a confinement layer during treatment reduced the endurance strength by about 18.133% compared to the untreated state. Also, it was observed that the difference between confined and unconfined LSP effects on the endurance limit was about 31.429%.
In and against the neoliberal state? The precarious siting of work integration social enterprises (WISEs) as counter-movement in Montreal, Quebec

In an era of workfare, characterized by the rise of ‘work first’ policies, new actors are emerging in the field of labour market integration. This paper explores the role of one labour market intermediary- Petites-Mains. Petites-Mains is a Work Integration Social Enterprise (WISE), which emerged to promote the social and economic inclusion of immigrant women in Montreal. We discuss the challenges the organization confronts in balancing its hybrid economic/social mandate and countering the negative effects of the market. While WISEs in Quebec have their origins in community or religious associations and their emergence can be traced to the decline of the welfare state, over time they have become increasingly dependent on state funding (especially support from the provincial government). The increasingly neoliberal orientation of provincial governments threatens the social mandates of the WISEs. These changes are affecting the potential of WISEs to assist marginalized immigrant women. We discuss some of the ways WISEs respond to the challenges they confront, leveraging networks at a variety of scales, and in doing so, we challenge conventional accounts of the role of civil society organizations.
iTRAQ-based proteomic technology revealed protein perturbations in intestinal mucosa from manganese exposure in rat models

Manganese (Mn) is an essential metal ion as a biological cofactor, but in excess, it is toxic; however, the homeostatic mechanisms of Mn at the cellular level have not been identified. We hypothesized that intracellular Mn can be modulated by proteins that could provide an insight into Mn regulatory mechanisms at the cellular level. Our experiment demonstrated that rats exposed to Mn (200 mg L−1 in water for 5 weeks) showed a significant Mn-induced decrease in total distance traveled, but daily body weight gain and feed intake were not significantly changed. The major organs showed a normal orientation and well defined histological structures without any signs of histopathological changes. We performed a qualitative and quantitative analysis of 3012 proteins for modifiers of cellular Mn content in intestinal mucosa cells by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). Following stringent validation assays and bioinformatics, a total of 175 intestinal mucosa proteins were found that may regulate Mn levels under biologically relevant Mn exposures. These proteins are related to pancreatic secretion, protein digestion and absorption, fat digestion and absorption, biosynthesis of amino acids, glycerolipid metabolism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, mineral absorption associated protein, etc. The identified proteins and biological targets may have potential applications in vivo for modulating cellular Mn content, and will help us understand the homeostatic mechanisms of Mn at the cellular level.
Effect of Lactate and Lactate Clearance Condition on the Prognosis of Sepsis in Children

Objectives: To investigate the value of early lactate dynamic monitoring index in predicting prognosis of patients with sepsis and septic shock. Methods: We performed our test on 50 patients. Out of 50 patients, 28 are male, and 22 are female. Prospectively studied pediatric patients with septic shock were performed. Vital signs, Lactate clearance, were obtained at presentation 6 h, 12 h, 24 h over the first 48 h of hospitalization. The therapy received, outcome parameters of mortality and duration of hospitalization were recorded. Results: The statistical data and comparative analysis showed that an average of 16.88 days after admission, 5 patients have died, 17 patients are poorly prognosis leaves the hospital, and the remaining 28 are recovered and discharged. The primary outcome variable of mean 16 days hospitalization mortality rate was 10%. Poor prognosis 34% and fully recovery 56 % were observed. In this retrospective cohort study, a lactate level of more than 2.5mmol/L was the best threshold to predict 28-day mortality among severe sepsis and septic shock patients. In our research, we found mean LC 6 h 3.08mmol/L, and after 48 h mean it is 1.79mmol/L. Significant LC 6 h found, which is 8.08mmol/L in the death group patient where 48 h mmol/L shows significant high. Poor prognosis also presents a clinical increase of lactate level high in the LC 6 h analysis, which is 3.32mmol/L. Recovered patients showed a significant improvement after administering treatment depending on the patient organ involvement and good decrease of lactate reports achieved, which is 1.20mmol/L, where admission reports show it was Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 30 July 2020 doi:10.20944/preprints202007.0718. v1 © 2020 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license. 2 1.91mmol/L in LC 6 h. Mean Heart rate 94/51mmhg, pulse 119, temperature 39°C, respiratory rate 32.26, and urine output 456 ml recorded during our study. Death patient shows a remarkable detonation of those reports but has a significant clinical report with the recovered patients. Conclusion: The early lactate dynamic monitoring index has a high value in predicting sepsis and septic shock patients' prognosis, thus worth popularizing.
FORMAL SOFTWARE INSPECTIONS: AN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION OF FUNCTION TABLES AND EVENT-B TO SOFTWARE OF A WAYSIDE TRAIN MONITORING SYSTEM

The experience gained in the industrial application of software inspections using Function Tables and Event-B to a subsystem of a Wayside Train Monitoring system (WTMS) is presented in this paper. The WTMS Configuration Management System (CMS) supports the creation and management of configuration data for the WTMS. The correct and reliable implementation of the required system functions, especially those dealing with data handling and data management, is of particular importance for the overall quality of the system since faults in these functions may lead to critical failures and malfunctioning. Therefore, the development of the data handling part of a CMS requires the use of high integrity methods like systematic software inspections in order to ensure the highest quality. Function Tables have been successfully applied for the inspection of safety-critical software. In our industrial project, a special variant of Function Tables was defined that can be easily mapped to formal Event-B specifications. Event-B with its set-theoretic basis for modeling, its concept of refinement and the use of formal proof to ensure correctness of refinement steps, is used to formally analyze the derived Function Tables. The systematic derivation of Function Tables is done by a verification-based inspection using reading technique “stepwise abstraction”.
Am I Pretty? 10 Tips to Designing Visually Appealing Slideware Presentations

ABSTRACT The importance of slideware presentations at conferences remains underestimated. Although several articles in the profession focus on this topic, emphasis on aspects of design and aesthetics appears scant. Changing trends and advances in software, instructional design, and human–computer interactions demand political scientists adapt and pay greater attention to balance and harmony, learning to distinguish between design and decoration. Building on Salmond and Smith’s (2011) work, this article offers 10 tips for creating cleaner, more visually appealing, minimalist slideware presentations. In a world of smartphones and social media, audiences are accustomed to visual aids; therefore, clearly and succinctly conveying a presenter’s core argument and/or results is not only crucial but also paramount.
A Mini-Review of Urban Wastewater Treatment in Greece: History, Development and Future Challenges

Although Greece has accomplished wastewater infrastructure construction to a large extent, as 91% of the country’s population is already connected to urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), many problems still need to be faced. These include the limited reuse of treated wastewater and of the surplus sludge (biosolids) produced, the relative higher energy consumption in the existing rather aged WWTPs infrastructure, and the proper management of failing or inadequately designed septic tank/soil absorption systems, still in use in several (mostly rural) areas, lacking sewerage systems. Moreover, the wastewater treatment sector should be examined in the general framework of sustainable environmental development; therefore, Greece’s future challenges in this sector ought to be reconsidered. Thus, the review of Greece’s urban wastewater history, even from the ancient times, up to current developments and trends, will be shortly addressed. This study also notes that the remaining challenges should be analyzed in respect to the country’s specific needs (e.g., interaction with the extensive tourism sector), as well as to the European Union’s relevant framework policies and to the respective international technological trends, aiming to consider the WWTPs not only as sites for the treatment/removal of pollutants to prevent environmental pollution, but also as industrial places where energy is efficiently used (or even produced), resources’ content can be potentially recovered and reused (e.g., nutrients, treated water, biosolids), and environmental sustainability is being practiced overall.
Shifts in the skyrmion stabilization due to curvature effects in dome- and antidome-shaped surfaces

The study of curvature-induced effects on the properties of nanostructures has become a cornerstone of magnetism. However, several methodologies usually used for studying nanoscale magnetic systems present difficulties for adequately describing curvature. In this work, we present a method that allows studying, under specific conditions, curved dome/antidome surfaces using an equivalent system without curvature. From the described methodology we obtain the phase diagram between easy-normal and skyrmionic magnetization configurations, as a function of spin-orbit coupling, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), and curvature. The effective DMI of the dome structure increases with the curvature. Nevertheless, the effective anisotropy presents the opposite behavior, decreasing with curvature. These results allow us to conclude that an increase in the skyrmion stability is observed in nanostructures having positive curvature. The presented results propose a route that could facilitate the study of curved nanofilms with intrinsic DMI from comparing them with their planar counterparts.
A bioinformatics characterization of secondary metabolism and alkyl citric acid pathway reconstruction in Aspergillus niger NRRL3

Secondary metabolites (SMs) from fungi have become an integral part of various scientific and medical fields as well as providing economic benefits. The genes involved in the biosynthesis of fungal and bacterial SMs are often co-localized in closely linked clusters that are generally dormant under laboratory conditions. Genomics technologies are being intensively used to identify SM gene clusters, and suggest methods to promote their expression. These efforts have already been used to discover new natural products, reveal the biosynthetic underpinnings of known products, and establish methods to eliminate toxic substances from industrially relevant organisms. An important aspect of SM gene cluster characterization is the development of methods to overproduce known compounds which are difficult to synthesize in the lab. This thesis presents the annotation of SM gene clusters in the sequenced genome of Aspergillus niger NRRL3. Using our cluster data as a guide to induce production of secondary metabolites through the overproduction of clustered transcription factors, we confirm the identity of the regulators that are involved in the biosynthesis of the fumonisins, TAN-1612/BMS-192548, and the azanigerones which were also used as positive controls. Additionally, we discovered three previously uncharacterized regulators of compounds whose masses correspond to the malformins, pyrophen, and the alkyl citric acids hexylitaconic acid, 2-carboxymethyl-3-hexylmaleic acid and the tensyuic acids. Selecting the alkyl citric acids for further investigation, we obtained a transcriptomic profile to define the genes of the alkyl citric acid gene cluster in A. niger. Using the identified compounds from mass spectrometry and NMR as well as the functional annotations of our defined cluster, I reconstruct a biosynthetic pathway for the alkyl citrates I identified. I then tested the robustness of my reconstruction by successfully predicting the accumulation of two early precursors, 2-hexylcitric acid (log2 fold change = 2.982 ± 0.15, p-value < 0.01) and its anhydride (log2 fold change = 3.792 ± 0.26, p-value < 0.01), as well as the elimination of all downstream compounds.
Protective effects of lactic acid bacteria on influenza A virus infection

Gut microbiota is essential to regulate the whole body metabolism and the immune system of the host animals. Lactic acid bacteria have as a major characteristic to produce lactic acid from glucose. As probiotics, lactic acid bacteria provide many beneficial effects on human health by regulating the gut microbiota or the cell function. Recently, we have reported that oral administration of a probiotic strain,Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) induced IgA production by increasing the population of IgA+ B cell in Peyer’s patch and propria mucosae of small intestine in mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that oral administration of LG2055 increased the survival rate of mice infected with influenza A virus and decreased the ratio of body weight losses. The virus titer was significantly decreased and the amount of inflammatory cytokine, IL-6 in the lung tissue was reduced by LG2055 administration. The expression of antiviral genes in the lung tissues was increased by LG2055. Therefore, LG2055 administration is shown to be effective for the protection against influenza A virus infection by inhibition of viral replication through the induction of antiviral genes expression. In the future, the constituents of LG2055 to have the effects on the induction of antiviral genes should be clarified for the development of novel influenza drugs.
Gradient-like minimization methods for aeroengines diagnosis and control

Nowadays, there is an ever growing interest for gas turbine and aeroengines prognostics. The capability to assess not only the current state of an asset, but also to be able to predict its remaining useful life (RUL), and hence to perform condition-based maintenance (CBM) —if, and only when, it is needed— can represent a huge deal in the manufacturer profits. Against the plethora of data-driven methods that have arisen in the past few years, there is still some knowledge to be gained in terms of understanding the underlying phenomenology of engine degradation. In fact, it is certainly a non-trivial problem, to realize what has happened to the rotating components of an engine just by observing the pressure being measured by certain sensor rise, or some other temperature measured along the main gas-path decrease its value. In this regard, model-based approaches —and, in particular, gas path analysis (GPA)— can assist us in gaining such knowledge. In this paper, a non-linear GPA technique is revisited, introducing some novelties to the solver, and making use of current computational methods and resources, to establish a solid ‘foundation’ that will serve as the basis for further research.