Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor (Nf)-kb Ligand Promotes T Helper 17 Cell Differentiation through Fas

ABSTRACT T helper 17 (Th17) cells play important role in the defense against pathogens and autoimmune diseases. Many cytokines can induce Th17 cell differentiation. However, the mechanism of Th17 cell differentiation is not well clarified. RankL, a member of the TNF superfamily, binds with Rank and then participates in the proliferation and differentiation of many kinds of cells. Recent studies showed that RankL-Rank signaling is closely related to Th17 differentiation and function. The detail of the Rank-RankL pathway in Th17 cell differentiation is still unclear. To illustrate the role of Rank-RankL in Th17 differentiation, naive CD4 + T cells were differentiated into Th17 cells with or without RankL stimulation. During Th17 differentiation, the expression of Rank obviously increased. The RankL stimulation significantly increased Th17 cell differentiation indicated by increased IL-17-positive cell number, highly expressed IL-17 and IL-22 and elevated IL-17 secretion. These effects were canceled by Rank-Fc addition. In further study, RankL treatment during Th17 differentiation up-regulated Fas expression. Fas knockdown inhibited the Th17 differentiation promoted by RankL. In this study, it was confirmed that Rank-RankL signaling could promote Th17 cell differentiation through Fas induction.
History, overview, and governance of environmental monitoring in the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada

Over the past decades, concerns regarding the local and cumulative impacts of oil sands development have been increasing. These concerns reflect the industry's emissions, land disturbance, water use, and the resulting impacts to Indigenous Rights. Effective environmental management is essential to address and ultimately manage these concerns. A series of ambient regional monitoring programs in the oil sands region (OSR) have struggled with scope and governance. In the last 10 years, monitoring has evolved from a regulatory‐driven exercise implemented by industry into a focused, collaborative, multistakeholder program that attempts to integrate rigorous science from a multitude of disciplines and ways of knowing. Monitoring in the region continues to grapple with leadership, governance, data management, scope, and effective analysis and reporting. This special series, “A Decade of Research and Monitoring in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada,” provides a series of critical reviews that synthesize 10 years of published monitoring results to identify patterns of consistent ecological responses or effects, significant gaps in knowledge, and recommendations for improved monitoring, assessment, and management of the region. The special series considered over 300 peer‐reviewed papers and represents the first integrated critical review of the published literature from the region. This introductory paper of the series introduces the history of ambient environmental monitoring in the OSR and discusses historic and ongoing challenges with the environmental monitoring effort. While significant progress has been made in areas of governance, expanded geographical scope, and inclusion of Indigenous communities in monitoring in the region, significant issues remain regarding a lack of integrated reporting on environmental conditions, public access to data, and continuity of monitoring efforts over time. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:319–332. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
The Modeling of Pulmonary Particulate Matter Transport Using Langmuir Monolayers

The effects of a barrier in proximity to the air-water interface on the dynamics of a Langmuir monolayer system are observed. A monolayer of Survanta, bovine lung surfactant, is deposited onto the interface of an aqueous buffer solution. Polystyrene particles one micron in diameter and tagged with fluorescent carboxylate groups are distributed evenly throughout the monolayer surface. The bead-monolayer system is compressed and expanded to induce folding. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate is placed below the monolayer in the buffer solution to study interactions between the folding monolayer and a barrier. The presence of the substrate is shown to shift surface pressure-area isotherms toward regions of lower area by an average of 8.9 mN/m. The surface of the PDMS substrate can be imaged using fluorescence microscopy to detect the presence of particles or surfactant that may have been transported there from the air-water interface during folding. Images show the transferral of particles and monolayer together suggesting the pinch-off of a fold or the direct interaction of a fold with the barrier.
Toxicity Reduction of Polymer-Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles by Sunlight

The environmental and health impacts of nanomaterials are becoming important topics of research in recent years. The unique advantages offered by these nanomaterials in wide range of applications cannot be realized until these concerns are resolved. Among all the nanomaterials, Ag nanoparticles, due to their existing extensive uses in commercial products, demand immediate attention. Since the nanoparticle suspensions will be exposed to environmental conditions different from a research lab setting, many factors, including light, temperature, salinity, etc., are suspected to affect the stability of the nanoparticle and also their toxicity. In this study, we examined the effect of sunlight on the stability and toxicity of 6 and 25 nm Ag nanoparticles coated with gum arabic (GA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Under sunlight irradiation, all of these nanoparticles irreversibly aggregated to different degrees depending on the surface coating. The UV content of the sunlight is identified to be the driving forc.
Concentration influence on antimicrobial activity of banana blossom extract-incorporated chitosan-polyethylene glycol (CS-PEG) blended film

The development of antimicrobial agents derived from micro-organisms and chemotherapeutic agents from plants is a research area of the utmost importance. The present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of banana (Musa sapientum) Blossom extract against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli) with extract-incorporated Chitosan (CS) - Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) blended film. The extraction was carried out in ethanol, chloroform and water. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts evaluated using disc methods and Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC). The compounds responsible for antimicrobial activity was conformed to confirmatory test. Ethanol extract showed an antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms.
The fluid shear stress sensor TRPM7 regulates tumor cell intravasation

Fluid shear sensing via TRPM7 limits tumor cell intravasation by activating RhoA/myosin and calmodulin/IQGAP1/Cdc42 pathways. Tumor cell intravasation preferentially occurs in regions of low fluid shear because high shear is detrimental to tumor cells. Here, we describe a molecular mechanism by which cells avoid high shear during intravasation. The transition from migration to intravasation was modeled using a microfluidic device where cells migrating inside longitudinal tissue-like microchannels encounter an orthogonal channel in which fluid flow induces physiological shear stresses. This approach was complemented with intravital microscopy, patch-clamp, and signal transduction imaging techniques. Fluid shear–induced activation of the transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) channel promotes extracellular calcium influx, which then activates RhoA/myosin-II and calmodulin/IQGAP1/Cdc42 pathways to coordinate reversal of migration direction, thereby avoiding shear stress. Cells displaying higher shear sensitivity due to higher TRPM7 activity levels intravasate less efficiently and establish less invasive metastatic lesions. This study provides a mechanistic interpretation for the role of shear stress and its sensor, TRPM7, in tumor cell intravasation.
Forecasting the Distribution of a Range-Expanding Bat Reveals Future Response to Climate Change and Habitat

Many terrestrial vertebrate species are exhibiting geographic distribution changes including poleward range limit shifts in response to increases in regional temperature. Bats are a highly mobile taxa capable of rapid responses to changes in abiotic or biotic conditions. In North America, recent extralimital records of the non-hibernating Lasiurus seminolus (Seminole bat) have been attributed to climate change, however such attributions remain speculative and potentially subject to sampling bias in the form of increased recent sampling efforts at latitudes north of the historical range. We used historical occurrence records and simple environmental variables within a Maxent modeling framework to model the historical distribution of suitable areas for this species. We transferred the model using near current environmental conditions and measured the ability of the model to capture the apparent expansion in distribution using recent extralimital occurrence records. Our model transferred well over time concluding that the distribution expansion may be largely attributed to increasing minimum temperatures. We used the model to forecast the expansion in distribution of suitable areas at three 20-year intervals and various climate change scenarios and provide extrapolation risk maps for each scenario. Although increasing temperatures may increase potentially occupiable areas, the species is associated with forests and often roosts in pines (Pinus spp.). This suitable habitat is more limited to the northwest of the species' range, which may constrain the future species expansion despite favorable temperatures. We demonstrated this effect by mapping limiting factors through future climate change scenarios. We discovered a broad shift of effects that constrained the distribution from minimum temperature to an abundance metric of evergreen cover type as time and climate change intensity increased. Although uncertainties exist, we predict further expansion of the Seminole bat widely over the next 60 years across the eastern United States where suitable habitat and climate conditions converge. Our results appear consistent with other bat species showing similar range extensions and in turn provide further evidence that bats may serve as bioindicators of global change.
Morphometric Analyses of Modern and Subfossil Macronycteris (Family Hipposideridae) Refine Groups from Anjohibe Cave, Northwestern Madagascar

Extant Malagasy members of the genus Macronycteris are broadly distributed across the island and vary in size with respect to sex, bioclimatic zone, and intraspecific clade affinity. An extinct Quaternary species, M. besaoka, was considered morphologically distinct from modern Macronycteris based on its robust mandibles and wider molars. Since its description, taxonomic and phylogenetic revisions have reshaped our understanding of Malagasy Macronycteris. This included the discovery of the cryptic species M. cryptovalorona and the recognition of two clades within M. commersoni. Recent augmentation of museum cranial collections of Malagasy members of the genus has permitted renewed investigation into morphological trends. Herein, we examine craniodental morphology of modern Malagasy Macronycteris spp. , and investigate the validity of M. besaoka through nonparametric multivariate methods. The results of this study support M. besaoka as a valid species. Further, some specimens previously diagnosed as M. besaoka are best associated with modern M. commersoni from the dry bioclimatic zone. These results have implications for the history of the bat community at Anjohibe Cave, as well as the identification of other Macronycteris subfossils from dry western Madagascar.
Sustainable development and management of medical tourism companies in Poland

Abstract The aim of the paper is to analyze the macroeconomic sector of medical tourism and to demonstrate through empirical research the possibilities of using business opportunities for the development of medical tourism in Poland. The thesis is to point out that development of companies in medical tourism is one of the components of metropolises’ sustainable development. Methodology A study with a sample of 214 individuals was conducted in 2018–2019 using the PAPI and CAWI techniques and a survey questionnaire was the research tool. Medical tourism companies located in the voivodship of the Upper Silesia, Warsaw, Cracow, and Szczecin metropolises took party in the study. Participation in the research was determined by the possibility to reach the companies and obtain results. Results The study has shown that development of companies in medical tourism is an inevitable component of metropolises’ sustainable development. It has been demonstrated that a dynamic development of companies occurs in the investigated period, which encourages expansion of medical tourism services among residents of the said metropolises.
Variation of Glass Transition Temperature of Drawn Poly(ethylene terephthalate)

ポリエチレンテレフタレートは剛直なCO〓CO部分と柔軟な-O-CH2-CH2-O-とからなり,延伸により受ける歪は剛直な部分と柔軟な部分とではかなり異なると考えられる。 本報文ではこれが分子鎖運動にどのように影響を与えるかを考察した。 赤外二色比の結果は,フェニレン基の配向度は延伸によって大きく上るのに反して,メチレン基の配向度はあまり上らない。 すなわちメチレン基とフェニレン基の配向度は延伸によって同じ程度では上昇しないことを示している。 このような構造を持つ試料の高温赤外二色比と広幅核磁気共鳴の結果は,フェニレン基およびメチレン基の運動がはじまる温度が異なることを示している。 また運動開始温度が異なることが動的損失のピークの非対称性および動的弾性率の二段階に分れて落ちる原因の一つになっていると考えられる。 また延伸倍率が高くなると,反って-O-CH2-CH2-O-が動きやすい構造をとり,これが分子鎖運動にも反映することがわかった。
An X-ray powder study of the structure and microstructure of trans-dichloridobis(1,5-diamino-1H-tetrazole-κN4)palladium(II)

Abstract The crystal structure of the coordination compound [PdCl2(CH4N6)2], trans-dichloridobis(1,5-diamino-1H-tetrazole-κN4)palladium(II), has been determined from X-ray powder diffraction data collected at room temperature. The structure has been solved by direct methods and refined using Rietveld analysis. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with Z=2. The unit cell dimensions are a=5.73491(4), b=11.94450(4), c=8.61685(4)Å, and β=99.6367(6)° with cell volume V=581.930(5)Å3. A slightly distorted square-planar coordination geometry is formed around the Pd atom by two Cl atoms and two tetrazole ring N atoms of two 1,5-diamino-1H-tetrazole ligands, which are in a trans configuration. In the complex molecule, the planes of the tetrazole rings are inclined at 53.7(3)° with respect to the coordination plane. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds of the amino groups N—H···Cl and N—H···Nring are responsible for formation of a three-dimensional supramolecular network. The powder pattern of the compound was strongly affected by the anisotropic line broadening. The width of the Bragg peaks was interpreted by a phenomenological microstructural approach in terms of anisotropic strain effect to complete the Rietveld refinement.
Interactive Evolution of Multidimensional Information in Social Media for Public Emergency: A Perspective from Optics Scattering

Abstract Most of the current research on the information analysis of social media (SM) for public emergency focused on a single dimension such as emotion while neglecting the interaction between multidimensional information. Therefore, in this study, an information dispersing–superimposing model is proposed to explain the implicit regularity of the impact within a symbol, sentiment, and context information and their dependent evolution on the SM. Information hue, saturation, and flux (HSF) are defined to measure the interaction process. An online event was selected to verify the concept and hypothesis of this study. The results proved that the interaction among multidimensional information did exist on the SM for a public emergency. The turning points of information dispersing–superimposing often emerged when the number of online users involved had significant changes, and sentiment and context information were showed to have a strong interaction relationship and tended to be spread at the same time. It was also manifested that the dominant information component was varied at each stage of the emergency. This paper is one of the first to study the interaction of multidimensional information on the SM derived from optics scattering. The findings of the study will try to provide a theoretical explanation for why certain information components may be enhanced during the online dissemination and suggest practical support for the information predictions and interface design for SM.
The Complicated Relationship Between the Dark Triad and Emotional Intelligence: A Systematic Review

The study of emotional intelligence (EI) and its relationship with the dark triad has emerged as a popular research area. However, the complex nature of the dark triad and EI, including multiple measures for assessment, has led to inconsistent findings. A systematic review was conducted to focus on the multifaceted nature of the dark triad traits. Included studies must have been conducted with adult samples using standardized EI and dark triad measures. Forty-eight studies were identified; all bar one reported overall negative associations between the dark triad and EI. These associations were more complicated than expected. Further examination found these relationships significantly differed when examined at the facet level. Our results highlight that future research requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Characterizing the complex influence of the urban built environment on the dynamic population distribution of Shenzhen, China, using geographically and temporally weighted regression

Big data can provide new insights for smart city planning. This study exploits mobile-phone locating-request (MPLR) data as a proxy for real-time intra-urban population distribution. It models the relationship between the dynamic population distribution and the urban built environment using geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), which can account for spatial and temporal non-stationarity simultaneously. A case study is undertaken based on MPLR records in Shenzhen, China and points of interest-based urban environment data aggregated to grid zones. Compared with previous models, GTWR yields a better result. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal coefficients are analyzed and compared. The results suggest that the patterns of urban population distribution are more complex during weekends than during weekdays. The coefficients of the company density variable are significantly higher during weekdays than weekends, while the coefficients associated with residential buildings are lower during weekday afternoons. Hence, the urban built environment plays an important role in the dynamic distribution of the population at different times. The findings show that the GTWR model in combination with MPLR and points of interest-based urban environment data can assist urban planners in gaining a better understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the population distribution, thereby providing potential inputs to the rational allocation of public resources over space and time.
Culture Media Based on Leaf Strips/Root Segments Create Compatible Host/Organ Setup for in vitro Cultivation of Plant Microbiota

Plant microbiota have co-evolved with their associated plants in the entire holobiont, and their assemblages support diversity and productivity on our planet. Of importance is in vitro cultivation and identification of their hub taxa for possible core microbiome modification. Recently, we introduced the in situ-similis culturing strategy, based on the use of plant leaves as a platform for in vitro growth of plant microbiota. Here, the strategy is further extended by exploring plant organ compatible cultivation of plant microbiota when grown on corresponding leaf/root-based culture media. Pooling the advantages of MPN enrichment methodology together with natural plant-only-based culture media, the introduced method efficiently constructed a nutritional milieu governed by vegan nutrients of plant origin, i.e., leaf strips/root segments, immersed in plain semi-solid water agar. MPN estimates exceeded log 7.0 and 4.0 g−1 of endo-rhizosphere and endo-phyllosphere, respectively, of maize and sunflower; being proportionate to those obtained for standard culture media. With sunflower, PCR-DGGE analyses indicated divergence in community composition of cultivable endophytes primarily attributed to culture media, signaling a certain degree of plant organ affinity/compatibility. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of bacterial isolates, 20 genera comprising 32 potential species were enriched; belonged to Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Alpha-/Gammaproteobacteria. The described cultivation strategy furnished diversified nutritive platform in terms of homologous/heterologous plant organ-based medium and ambient/limited oxygenic cultivation procedure. Duly, cultivability extended to > 8 genera: Bosea, Brevundimonas, Chitinophaga, Pseudoxanthomonas, Sphingobacterium Caulobacter, Scandinavium, and Starkeya; the latter three genera were not yet reported for Sunflower, and possible unknown species or even one new putative genus. Thus, both potential members of the major microbiome and rare isolates of satellite microbiomes can be isolated using the presented method. It is a feasible addition to traditional cultivation methods to explore new potential resources of PGPB for future biotechnological applications.
Influence on Polyurethane Synthesis Parameters Upon the Performance of Base Asphalt

The objective of this study aims to investigate the performance of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU)-modified asphalt, with special focus on the influence of polyurethane synthesis parameters upon the performance of base asphalt. In this study, the TPU modifier was incorporated into base asphalt to prepare TPU-modified asphalt by using a self-determined laboratory process. The properties of polyester-based TPU and polyether-based TPU modified asphalt with different contents was analyzed by the base performance tests. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), fluorescent microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravity (TG), dynamic shear rheology (DSR), and bending beam rheology (BBR) tests were conducted to expose chemical, microstructure, and rheological properties of the asphalt binders, respectively. The results indicated that the modified asphalt with 5% TPU modifier exhibited a favorable performance in terms of the penetration, ductility, softening point, and rotational viscosity, respectively. The isocyanate and polyol reacted to form carbamate in the TPU-modified asphalt, and moreover the isocyanate and aromatic compounds reacted to form halohydrins in the asphalt. Large particles contained in the polyester-based TPU-modified asphalt increased obviously with the increase of Ch (Hard segment content) and r (Isocyanate root index, molar ratio between NCO and OH) value, the fracture mode of it subjected to external load indicated a typical brittle fracture. The content of MDI in the synthesized polyurethane modifier was an important factor affecting the high-temperature stability of the modified asphalt. The polyester-based TPU modifier had a better high temperature performance than the polyether-based TPU modifier. The polyether polyol chain segment showed a greater flexibility as compared to polyester polyol; the addition of polyether polyols can be effectively offset of MDI chain rigidity as r ≤ 1 and Ch < 40% leading to the improvement of the viscoelastic property of asphalt. When Ch = 40% and r = 0.95, the polyether-based TPU-modified asphalt exhibited the same high-temperature grade as the polyester-based TPU-modified asphalt, whereas the polyether-based TPU-modified asphalt showed obviously higher low temperature grades. The polyester-based TPU with Ch = 40% and r = 1 can be used as a modifier to increase the durability of asphalt binders.