pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Identification of molecular and physiological responses to chronic environmental challenge in an invasive species The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Understanding the environmental responses of an invasive species is critical in
predicting how ecosystem composition may be transformed in the future, especially under climate change. In this study, Crassostrea gigas, a species well adapted to the highly variable intertidal environment, was exposed to the chronic environmental challenges of temperature (19 and 24°C) and pH (ambient
seawater and a reduction of 0.4 pH units) in an extended 3-month laboratory-based study. Physiological parameters were measured (condition index, shell growth, respiration, excretion rates, O:N ratios, and ability to repair shell damage) alongside molecular analyses. Temperature was by far the most important stressor, as demonstrated by reduced condition indexes and shell growth at
24°C, with relatively little effect detected for pH. Transcriptional profiling using
candidate genes and SOLiD sequencing of mantle tissue revealed that classical
“stress” genes, previously reported to be upregulated under acute temperature challenges, were not significantly expressed in any of the treatments, emphasizing the different response between acute and longer term chronic stress. The transcriptional profiling also elaborated on the cellular responses underpinning the physiological results, including the identification of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway as a potentially novel marker for chronic environmental challenge.
This study represents a first attempt to understand the energetic consequences of cumulative thermal stress on the intertidal C. gigas which could significantly impact on coastal ecosystem biodiversity and function in the future.This work was supported by an EU Research Infrastructure Action under the EP7 “Capacities” Specific Programme,
ASSEMBLE grant agreement no. 227799, CCMAR Ref 00415/2010. We thank Lloyd Peck (BAS) for advice on physiology and critical reading of the manuscript, Simon Morley (BAS) for statistical analyses, John Turner (BAS) for the Hadley Centre predictions, Elizabeth Harper Cambridge University for damage repair analysis, and Ana Grade (IPMA) who assisted with RNA extractions
Item transformation for computer asisted language testing: The adaptation of the Spanish University entrance examination

Since the Spanish Educational system is changing and promoting the use of online tests, it was necessary to study the transformation of test items in the ' Spanish University Entrance Examination ' (IB P.A.U.) to diminish the effect of test delivery changes (through its computerization) in order to affect the least the current model. The purpose of this study was to describe and suggest the properties of a new test item taxonomy for the Spanish University Entrance Examination. After a convenient study and piloting by using previous research in computer-based language testing, the researchers created a taxonomy of test items for the I.B. P.A.U
Cost-effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention with cobalt-chromium everolimus eluting stents versus bare metal stents: Results from a patient level meta-analysis of randomized trials

Background: Second-generation drug eluting stents (DES) may reduce costs and improve clinical outcomes compared to first-generation DES with improved cost-effectiveness when compared to bare metal stents (BMS). We aimed to conduct an economic evaluation of a cobalt-chromium everolimus eluting stent (Co-Cr EES) compared with BMS in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Objective: To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of a cobalt-chromium everolimus eluting stent (Co-Cr EES) versus BMS in PCI. Methods: A Markov state transition model with a 2-year time horizon was applied from a US Medicare setting with patients undergoing PCI with Co-Cr EES or BMS. Baseline characteristics, treatment effects, and safety measures were taken from a patient level meta-analysis of 5 RCTs (n=4,896). The base-case analysis evaluated stent-related outcomes; a secondary analysis considered the broader set of outcomes reported in the meta-analysis. Results: The base-case and secondary analyses reported an additional 0.018 and 0.013 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and cost savings of $236 and $288, respectively with Co-Cr EES versus BMS. Results were robust to sensitivity analyses and were most sensitive to the price of clopidogrel. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, Co-Cr EES was associated with a greater than 99% chance of being cost saving or cost effective (at a cost per QALY threshold of $50,000) versus BMS. Conclusions: Using data from a recent patient level meta-analysis and contemporary cost data, this analysis found that PCI with Co-Cr EES is more effective and less costly than PCI with BMS
Age-Related Changes in the Brain Antioxidant Status: Modulation by Dietary Supplementation of Decalepis Hamiltonii and Physical Exercise

The synergistic effects of physical exercise and diet have profound benefits on brain function. The present study was aimed to determine the effects of exercise and Decalepis hamiltonii (Dh) on age-related responses on the antioxidant status in discrete regions of rat brain. Male Wistar albino rats of 4 and 18 months old were orally supplemented with Dh extract and swim trained at 3 % intensity for 30 min/day, 5 days/week, for a period of 30 days. Supplementation of 100 mg Dh aqueous extract/kg body weight and its combination with exercise significantly elevated the antioxidant enzyme activities irrespective of age. Age-related and region-specific changes were observed in superoxide levels, and protein carbonyl and malondialdehyde contents, and were found to be decreased in both trained and supplemented groups. Levels of total thiols, protein, and nonprotein thiols decreased with age and significantly increased in the SW-T(+100 mg) groups. Our results demonstrated that the interactive effects of two treatments enhanced the antioxidant status and decreased the risk of protein and lipid oxidation in the rat brain
Gay, Mostly Gay, or Bisexual Leaning Gay? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Gay Sexual Orientations Among Young Men

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York. This exploratory study assessed physiological, behavioral, and self-report measures of sexual and romantic indicators of sexual orientation identities among young men (mean age = 21.9 years) with predominant same-sex sexual and romantic interests: those who described themselves as bisexual leaning gay (n = 11), mostly gay (n = 17), and gay (n = 47). Although they were not significantly distinguishable based on physiological (pupil dilation) responses to nude stimuli, on behavioral and self-report measures a descending linear trend toward the less preferred sex (female) was significant regarding sexual attraction, fantasy, genital contact, infatuation, romantic relationship, sex appeal, and gazing time to the porn stimuli. Results supported a continuum of sexuality with distinct subgroups only for the self-report measure of sexual attraction. The other behavioral and self-report measures followed the same trend but did not significantly differ between the bisexual leaning gay and mostly gay groups, likely the result of small sample size. Results suggest that romantic indicators are as good as sexual measures in assessing sexual orientation and that a succession of logically following groups from bisexual leaning gay, mostly gay, to gay. Whether these three groups are discrete or overlapping needs further research
Role of platelet-derived growth factor B in cholesterol and glucose metabolism

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFB) is a critical molecule for recruiting pericytes. Due to the fundamental role of the pericytes in angiogenesis and vascular stability, PDGFB knockout mice die perinatally from severe hemorrhage and edema. PDGFB retention motif knockout mouse (Pdgfbret/ret) is one of the available models to study the postnatal effect of PDGFB signaling. My PhD projects intensively used Pdgfbret/ret to explore the role of PDGFB in cholesterol and glucose metabolism. 



In the brain, the pericyte coverage on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of Pdgfbret/ret is reduced by 70%, which leads to increased permeability to a series of high- and low-mass tracers. Physiologically cholesterol metabolism in the brain is isolated from the other organs or the circulation by BBB. Paper I and II used Pdgfbret/ret mice as a BBB leakage model and studied the metabolic changes of cholesterol metabolism in the brain when BBB lose its integrity. Our results show that in Pdgfbret/ret, more plant sterols are accumulated in the brain due to increased influx. Meanwhile due to increased efflux of 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol, the negative feedbacks to de novo biosynthesis of cholesterol in the brain is diminished. 



Liver has been considered as a special organ for PDGFB signaling, because recruitment of the hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), also disputably known as the liver pericytes, are recruited independently of PDGFB. PDGFB is known to be expressed from the endothelial cells of portal veins, but its physiological role is still poorly investigated. In Paper III, we describe for the first time that cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells of bile ducts, are also expressing PDGFB. Similar to pericyte deficiency on BBB, Pdgfbret/ret mice show deficiency of periductal mesenchymal cells, together with bile duct dilation and portal inflammatory infiltrate (PII). PII is of great clinical importance, because it is an early marker ubiquitously present in many biliary and non-biliary liver diseases. Using Pdgfbret/ret, together with PDGFB knockouts and Sox2-Cre;PDGFRβ+/D849V mutants in which PDGFRβ is over-active, we confirmed that elevated PDGFB signaling leads to PII directly. In Pdgfbret/ret, PII is accompanied by a lopsided immune profile, with increased CD8 T cells and decreased NKT cells, which mimics the immune profile at the steatosis stage of non-alchoholic fatty liver diseases. From metabolic perspective, we show that immune response in Pdgfbret/ret leads further to intolerance to high cholesterol diet and susceptibility to hepatic steatosis by suppressing VLDL secretion. 



Paper IV focuses on the function of PDGFB in pancreatic islets. We show that PDGFB is not a key factor to maintain the pericyte coverage in pancreatic islets. In Pdgfbret/ret, the slightly disrupted PDGFB signaling is not enough to affect vascular functions in pancreatic islets. The first phase of insulin secretion in Pdgfbret/ret is earlier and stronger, and our current data indicates a systematic factor as the underlying mechanism
The low lying scalar resonances in the D0 decays into K0s and f0(500), f0(980), a0(980)

The D0 decay into Ks0 and a scalar resonance, f0(500), f0(980), a0(980), are studied obtaining the scalar resonances from final state interaction of a pair of mesons produced in a first step in the D0 decay into Ks0 and the pair of pseudoscalar mesons. This weak decay is very appropriate for this kind of study because it allows to produce the three resonances in the same decay in a process that is Cabibbo-allowed, hence the rates obtained are large compared to those of B-0 decays into J/ψ and a scalar meson that have at least one Cabibbo-suppressed vertex. Concretely the a0(980) production is Cabibbo-allowed here, while it cannot be seen in the B-s0 decay into J/ψa0(980) and is doubly Cabibbo-suppressed in the B-0 decay into J/ψa0(980) and has not been identified there. The fact that the three resonances can be seen in the same reaction, because there is no isospin conservation in the weak decays, offers a unique opportunity to test the ideas of the chiral unitary approach where these resonances are produced from the interaction of pairs of pseudoscalar mesons
Smac Mimetics and TNFalpha: A Dangerous Liaison?

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) such as XIAP, cIAP1, and cIAP2 are upregulated in many cancer cells. It has been thought that small-molecule mimetics of Smac, an endogenous IAP antagonist, might potentiate apoptosis in cancer cells by promoting caspase activation. However, three recent papers, two in Cell (Vince et al., 2007; Varfolomeev et al., 2007) and one in Cancer Cell (Petersen et al., 2007), now report that Smac mimetics primarily kill cancer cells via a different mechanism, the induction of autoubiquitination and degradation of cIAPs, which culminates in TNFalpha-mediated cell death
Hospital managers' need for information in decision-making--An interview study in nine European countries.

Assessments of new health technologies in Europe are often made at the hospital level. However, the guidelines for health technology assessment (HTA), e.g. the EUnetHTA Core Model, are produced by national HTA organizations and focus on decision-making at the national level. This paper describes the results of an interview study with European hospital managers about their need for information when deciding about investments in new treatments. The study is part of the AdHopHTA project. Face-to-face, structured interviews were conducted with 53 hospital managers from nine European countries. The hospital managers identified the clinical, economic, safety and organizational aspects of new treatments as being the most relevant for decision-making. With regard to economic aspects, the hospital managers typically had a narrower focus on budget impact and reimbursement. In addition to the information included in traditional HTAs, hospital managers sometimes needed information on the political and strategic aspects of new treatments, in particular the relationship between the treatment and the strategic goals of the hospital. If further studies are able to verify our results, guidelines for hospital-based HTA should be altered to reflect the information needs of hospital managers when deciding about investments in new treatments
Detailed Analysis of the Solution Heat Treatment of a Third-Generation Single Crystal Nickel-Base Superalloy CMSX-10K®

A detailed analysis of the response of as-cast third-generation single-crystal nickel-base superalloy CMSX-10K® to solution heat treatment (SHT) has been carried out, alongside an SHT optimisation exercise. The analysis was conducted through microstructural characterisation, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and compositional homogeneity measurements, quantifying (i) the dissolution and microstructural evolution of the interdendritic constituents, (ii) the shift in thermo-physical characteristics of the material, and (iii) the change in compositional homogeneity across the microstructure, in order to gain further understanding of these phenomena during the progression of the SHT. During the early stages of SHT, the coarse cellular γ^/ / narrow γ channel inter-dendritic constituents which were the last areas to solidify during casting, progressively dissolve; homogenisation between these inter-dendritic areas and adjacent dendritic areas leads to a rapid increase in the incipient melting temperature T_IM. The fine γ / γ^/ morphology which were the first inter-dendritic constituents to solidify after primary γ dendrite solidification, were found to progressively coarsen; however, subsequent dissolution of these coarsened γ / γ^/ inter-dendritic areas did not result in significant increases in the T_IM until the near-complete dissolution of these interdendritic areas. After the final SHT step, residual compositional micro-segregation could still be detected across the microstructure despite the near-complete dissolution of these remnant inter-dendritic areas; even so the T_IM of the material approached the solidus temperature of the alloy.The authors would like to acknowledge funding through the EPSRC/Rolls-Royce Strategic Partnership (EP/H500375/1 and EP/M005607/1). The authors also wish to express appreciation to Dr. Chris Hayward at the School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh for carrying out the EPMA composition measurements and to Mr. Kevin Roberts of Dept. of Materials Science and Metallurgy for assistance in carrying out the solution heat treatment runs. Requests for access to the underlying research data should be directed to the corresponding author and will be considered against commercial interests and data protection.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11661-015-3252-
Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio
Multiscale modelling framework for the fracture of thin brittle polycrystalline films: application to polysilicon

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) made of polycrystalline silicon are widely used in several engineering fields. The fracture properties of polycrystalline silicon directly affect their reliability. The effect of the orientation of grains on the fracture behaviour of polycrystalline silicon is investigated out of the several factors. This is achieved, firstly, by identifying the statistical variation of the fracture strength and critical strain energy release rate, at the nanoscopic scale, over a thin freestanding polycrystalline silicon film having mesoscopic scale dimensions. The fracture stress and strain at the mesoscopic level are found to be closely matching with uniaxial tension experimental results. Secondly, the polycrystalline silicon film is considered at the continuum MEMS scale, and its fracture behaviour is studied by incorporating the nanoscopic scale effect of grain orientation. The entire modelling and simulation of the thin film is achieved by combining the discontinuous Galerkin method and extrinsic cohesive law describing the fracture process.Belgian National Foundation for Scientific Research (FRFC 2.4508.11)Belgian National Foundation for Scientific Research (PDR T.0122.13 “MECANO”
Production of associated $\Upsilon$ and open charm hadrons in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and $8$TeV via double parton scattering

Associated production of bottomonia and open charm hadrons in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and $8$TeV is observed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3$fb^{-1}$ accumulated with the LHCb detector. The observation of five combinations, $\Upsilon(1S)D^0$, $\Upsilon(2S)D^0$, $\Upsilon(1S)D^+$, $\Upsilon(2S)D^+$ and $\Upsilon(1S)D^+_{s}$, is reported. Production cross-sections are measured for $\Upsilon(1S)D^0$ and $\Upsilon(1S)D^+$ pairs in the forward region. The measured cross-sections and the differential distributions indicate the dominance of double parton scattering as the main production mechanism. This allows a precise measurement of the effective cross-section for double parton scattering
Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy: An Economic Evaluation Within a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background\ud
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Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is effective and cost-effective for people with mild-to-moderate dementia when delivered biweekly over 7 weeks.\ud
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Aims\ud
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To examine whether longer-term (maintenance) CST is cost-effective when added to usual care.\ud
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Methods\ud
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Cost-effectiveness analysis within multicenter, single-blind, pragmatic randomized controlled trial; subgroup analysis for people taking acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (ACHEIs). A total of 236 participants with mild-to-moderate dementia received CST for 7 weeks. They were randomized to either weekly maintenance CST added to usual care or usual care alone for 24 weeks.\ud
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Results\ud
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Although outcome gains were modest over 6 months, maintenance CST appeared cost-effective when looking at self-rated quality of life as primary outcome, and cognition (MMSE) and proxy-rated quality-adjusted life years as secondary outcomes. CST in combination with ACHEIs offered cost-effectiveness gains when outcome was measured as cognition.\ud
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Conclusions\ud
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Continuation of CST is likely to be cost-effective for people with mild-to-moderate dementia
Banking concentration and developments in FYROM: A country in transition

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) belongs to the transition economies that have witnessed significant structural changes in their domestic markets during the 2000s. We examine the evolution of the banking competition from 2003 until 2011, covering the first period of economic growth followed by the acute financial crisis that still threatens European countries. We apply the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and the CR3 and CR5 indicators in order to estimate banking concentration on five industry variables. Our findings show that the market has been persistently operating under oligopolistic, if not monopolistic, conditions where the leading three or five institutions dominate the market. Foreign newcomers and legislative developments have not changed the situation during the past 10 years and bank customers seem to keep their preferences unaffected, staying loyal to their prior choices. We analyze the banking sector profitability since 2008 and during the economic crisis, as well as the operational performance and the future trends concerning this sector
Ancillary services analysis of an offshore wind farm cluster-technical integration steps of a simulation tool

In this publication, the authors present methodology and example results for the analysis of ancillary services of an offshore wind farm cluster and its electrical power system. Thereby the operation tool Wind Cluster Management System (WCMS) is used as simulation tool to evaluate certain planning scenarios. Emphasis is made on two topics: 1) the integration of high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology to the WCMS, 2) the ancillary service analysis. As examples, voltage source converter based HVDC (VSC-HVDC) and the provision of reserve respectively balancing power are discussed in detail. The analyzed study case considers the Kriegers Flak area while the associated power system connects wind farms to Sweden, Denmark and Germany.EC/FP7/ENERGY-2011-1/ 28279