Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficiency Enhancement in Hybrid P3HT/Silicon Nanocrystal Solar Cells

Abstract Hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells from poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and freestanding silicon nanocrystals (Si-ncs) combine the advantages of silicon-based photovoltaics with the cost-efficient solution processing technique. At present, the microwave-plasma synthesis of Si-ncs that allows for a future upscaling to industrial demands is at the expense of the Si-nc surface quality and the number of charge-trapping defects. Here, we present an enhancement of the solar cell performance by identifying the major factors which are limiting the device efficiency. With the help of low-cost post-growth treatments of the Si-ncs and the optimization of various device parameters, P3HT:Si-ncs bulk heterojunction solar cells with an efficiency up to 1.1% are achieved. In particular, etching of the Si-ncs with hydrofluoric acid to remove the surface oxide shells and surface defects has a strong impact on the solar cell performance. An intermediate Si weight ratio of around 60% is found to lead to the highest current densities. For Si-ncs with very small diameters, an additional enhancement of the open circuit voltage was observed. Moreover, we show that the structural order of P3HT has a strong influence on the efficiency, which can be explained by an improved charge carrier separation at the P3HT/Si-ncs interface in combination with an enhanced charge transport in the P3HT phase.
Resting metabolic rate is an important predictor of serum adiponectin concentrations : potential implications for obesity-related disorders 1 – 3

Background: Little is known about the regulation of adiponectin. Animal studies suggest local regulation by adipocytokines or alterations in energy expenditure, and studies in humans suggest regulation by alcohol intake and ethnicity. Objective: To identify regulators of adiponectin in humans, we measured resting metabolic rate (RMR), serum adiponectin, glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol, alcohol intake, and anthropometric indexes in 457 white patients with overweight or obesity. Design: A cross-sectional design was used, and multivariate regression analysis was performed with adiponectin as the dependent variable and potential predictors as independent variables. Results: Simple linear analyses showed significant associations between adiponectin and sex, with a standardized coefficient of 0.38 (women compared with men) and an explanation of variation of the model (R) of 14%; age (0.21; 4%); RMR ( 0.52; 27%); fat-free mass ( 0.40; 16%); fat mass ( 0.16; 2%); visceral fat ( 0.24; 6%; computed tomography at L4–L5); fasting triacylglycerol ( 0.28; 8%); and insulin resistance ( 0.38; 14%; homeostasis model assessment). Adiponectin and alcohol were not associated ( 0.04; 0%). Multivariate analyses, which allowed adjustment for confounding, showed that RMR is the most important predictor of adiponectin ( 0.31; 29%), followed successively by insulin resistance ( 0.16; 31%; model containing RMR and insulin resistance), fat mass (0.20; 34%), age (0.34; 35%), visceral fat ( 0.34; 40%), and fasting triacylglycerol ( 0.12, 41%). Conclusions: Low resting metabolism (RMR) is associated with high serum adiponectin. We speculate that subjects with low RMR, who are theoretically at greater risk of obesity-related disorders, are especially protected by adiponectin. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82:
Preparation and characterization of rigid poly (vinyl chloride)/MMT nanocomposites

In this article, a Haake torque rheometer equipped with an internal mixer is used to study the influence of the amount of sodium montmorillonite (Na+-MMT) and organically modified MMT (O-MMT) on the characteristics of rigid poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/Na+-MMT and PVC/O-MMT nanocomposites, respectively. It is observed that the fusion time and temperature of the rigid PVC/Na+-MMT nanocomposites are decreased with increasing the amount of Na+-MMT. On the contrast, the fusion time and temperature of the rigid PVC/O-MMT nanocomposites are increased with increasing the amount of O-MMT. Results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) indicate that MMT is partially encapsulated and intercalated in the rigid PVC/Na+-MMT nanocomposites. However, results of XRD and TEM show MMT is partially intercalated and exfoliated in the rigid PVC/O-MMT nanocomposites. Tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation at break of the rigid PVC/MMT (including PVC/Na+-MMT and PVC/O-MMT) nanocomposites were improved simultaneously with adding 1–3 wt % Na+-MMT or O-MMT with respect to those of pristine PVC. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1465–1474, 2005
On the Measurement of Elastic Constants in Nematic Liquid Crystals: Comparison of Different Methods

Abstract Different methods of measuring elastic constants of nematic liquid crystals by deformation of homogeneously and homeotropically oriented layers through external magnetic and electric fields, respectively, are critically examined. Possible sources of uncertainties are quantitatively explored. An approximative numerical fitting procedure is proposed allowing to take conductivity effects in electrically deformed layers up to large conductivities and/or temperatures into account. A novel, accurate and simple monitoring method to determine twist elastic constants is described. The measurements of the temperature dependence of the splay bend and twist elastic constants of the positive dielectric mixture R0-TN-403 are presented.
Experimental performance evaluation of two commercially available, 1.2 kV half-bridge SiC MOSFET modules

In this paper, the switching performances of two state-of-the-art half-bridge SiC MOSFET modules are evaluated using a standard double pulse test methodology. The selected modules are commercially available, and have the same voltage and current ratings. A comparative study is carried out under various conditions such as similar dv/dt, di/dt, and current and voltage overshoots. Additionally, the lab setup is simulated in LTspice in order to investigate the impact of stray inductances in the switching performances. Both the simulations and the experimental measurements give insight in the significance of low inductive layouts to utilize the fast switching feature of SiC.
NP108, an Antimicrobial Polymer with Activity against Methicillin- and Mupirocin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a clinically significant human pathogen that causes infectious diseases ranging from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) and health care-associated infections (HAI) to potentially fatal bacteremia and endocarditis. Nasal carriage of S. aureus, especially for persistent carriage, is associated with an increased risk of subsequent infection, particularly nosocomial and surgical site infections (SSI), usually via autoinfection. NP108 is a cationic antimicrobial polymer composed of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) amino acid building blocks. NP108 is broad spectrum and rapidly bactericidal (3-log kill in ≤3 h), killing bacteria by membrane disruption and cell lysis. NP108, contrary to many antibiotics, shows equally effective antimicrobial activity against a variety of S. aureus (MIC100 = 8 to 500 mg/liter) and S. epidermidis (MIC100 = 4 to 8 mg/liter) isolates, whether exponentially growing or in stationary phase. NP108 is antimicrobially active under nutrient-limiting conditions similar to those found in the anterior nares (MIC100 = 8 mg/liter) and kills antibiotic-resilient small colony variants (MIC100 = 32 mg/liter) and S. aureus biofilms (prevention, MIC100 = 1 to 4 mg/liter; eradication, MIC100 ≥ 31.25 mg/liter). NP108 is active against isolates of S. aureus resistant to the current standard-of-care decolonization agent, mupirocin, with no significant increase in the MIC100. NP108 is water soluble and has been formulated into compatible aqueous gel vehicles for human use in which antimicrobial efficacy is retained (2.0% [wt/vol]). NP108 is a potential nonantibiotic antimicrobial alternative to antibiotics for the nasal decolonization of S. aureus, with clear advantages in its mechanism of action over the existing gold standard, mupirocin.
Pressure Assisted Thermal Processing: Tomato Carotenoid Stability during Processing and Storage and Feasibility of Using Chemical Markers for Evaluating Process Uniformity

ii Dedication. v Acknowledgements. vi Vita. vii List of Tables. xi List of Figures. xii Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 2: Pressure Assisted Thermal Processing of Foods 1 2.
iRNA-AI: identifying the adenosine to inosine editing sites in RNA sequences

Catalyzed by adenosine deaminase (ADAR), the adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) editing in RNA is not only involved in various important biological processes, but also closely associated with a series of major diseases. Therefore, knowledge about the A-to-I editing sites in RNA is crucially important for both basic research and drug development. Given an uncharacterized RNA sequence that contains many adenosine (A) residues, can we identify which one of them can be of A-to-I editing, and which one cannot? Unfortunately, so far no computational method whatsoever has been developed to address such an important problem based on the RNA sequence information alone. To fill this empty area, we have proposed a predictor called iRNA-AI by incorporating the chemical properties of nucleotides and their sliding occurrence density distribution along a RNA sequence into the general form of pseudo nucleotide composition (PseKNC). It has been shown by the rigorous jackknife test and independent dataset test that the performance of the proposed predictor is quite promising. For the convenience of most experimental scientists, a user-friendly web-server for iRNA-AI has been established at http://lin.uestc. edu.cn/server/iRNA-AI/, by which users can easily get their desired results without the need to go through the mathematical details.
Children's Behavioral Pain Cues: Implicit Automaticity and Control Dimensions in Observational Measures

Some pain behaviors appear to be automatic, reflexive manifestations of pain, whereas others present as voluntarily controlled. This project examined whether this distinction would characterize pain cues used in observational pain measures for children aged 4–12. To develop a comprehensive list of cues, a systematic literature search of studies describing development of children's observational pain assessment tools was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Twenty-one articles satisfied the criteria. A total of 66 nonredundant pain behavior items were identified. To determine whether items would be perceived as automatic or controlled, 277 research participants rated each on multiple scales associated with the distinction. Factor analyses yielded three major factors: the “Automatic” factor included items related to facial expression, paralinguistics, and consolability; the “Controlled” factor included items related to intentional movements, verbalizations, and social actions; and the “Ambiguous” factor included items related to voluntary facial expressions. Pain behaviors in observational pain scales for children can be characterized as automatic, controlled, and ambiguous, supporting a dual-processing, neuroregulatory model of pain expression. These dimensions would be expected to influence judgments of the nature and severity of pain being experienced and the extent to which the child is attempting to control the social environment.
Orthogonal AMP for compressed sensing with unitarily-invariant matrices

Approximate message passing (AMP) is a low-cost iterative signal recovery algorithm for compressed sensing. For sensing matrices with independent identically distributed (IID) Gaussian entries, the performance of AMP can be asymptotically characterized by a simple scaler recursion called state evolution (SE). SE analysis shows that AMP can potentially approach the optimal minimum mean squared-error (MMSE) limit. However, SE may become unreliable for other matrix ensembles, especially for ill-conditioned ones. In this paper, we propose an orthogonal AMP (OAMP) algorithm based on de-correlated linear estimation (LE) and divergence-free non-linear estimation (NLE). The Onsager term in standard AMP vanishes as a result of the divergence-free constraint on NLE. We develop an SE procedure for OAMP and show numerically that the SE for OAMP is accurate for a wide range of sensing matrices, including IID Gaussian matrices, partial orthogonal matrices, and general unitarily-invariant matrices. We further derive optimized options for OAMP and show that the corresponding SE fixed point coincides with the optimal performance obtained via the replica method.
Avoid rejecting livers from donation after circulatory death donors based on donor age alone

However, judicious selection of DCD grafts results in outcomes comparable with DBD grafts. Factors potentially impacting DCD outcomes include donor age, donor body mass index, recipient age, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, donor warm ischemia time (DWIT), functional DWIT, cold ischemia time (CIT), and retransplantation. Shorter ischemia times, lower recipient MELD scores, and younger recipient age positively impact DCD outcomes. The use of allografts from DCD donors <50 years with short CIT resulted in better outcomes compared with that seen with DBD donor livers with age 60 years in 1 report. Although most agree that the use of younger DCD donor livers are more likely to yield more favorable outcomes, the upper donor age limit for DCD liver acceptance remains controversial. In large national database analyses, donor age 60 years as an independent variable leads to a significant increase in DCD allograft failure. A recently published analysis of pooled national databases from the United States and the United Kingdom also demonstrated an increased risk of graft loss with DCD donor livers 60 years. In contrast, earlier single-center analyses reveal that DCD LT outcomes using donor livers with age >60 years are similar to those seen with donor livers <60 years. The reports demonstrating inferior outcomes when using older DCD livers has likely affected physician behavior over time. A recent analysis demonstrated a marked reduction in the use of older DCD livers in the United States. The percentage of DCD LTs with livers 60 years of age decreased from 5% between 2003 and 2006 to 0.7% during the period between 2011 and 2014. This was also evident in a recent US multicenter report of 744 DCD LTs occurring between 2005 and 2014 with only 28 grafts or 4.3% recovered from donors 60 years. How does one determine if an older DCD donor liver is suitable for transplant? In this issue, Schlegel et al. in a single-center analysis investigated the impact of DCD donor age >60 years on LT outcomes. A total of 222 recipients received DCD grafts from donors 60 years and 93 recipients received DCD livers from donors >60 years. The authors’ practice initially was to accept DCD grafts only from donors <60 years. However, during the 10-year period, they loosened the age limits. Their median donor age was 28 years in 2005, whereas it was 68 years in 2015. Importantly, graft and patient survivals did not differ between the younger and older DCD grafts. In addition, there were no differences in biliary complication rates including ischemic cholangiopathy (11%) between the 2 groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that well-known risk factors (donor age, CIT, functional DWIT, recipient age, recipient MELD) were not predictive of graft survival. The authors conclude that the cutoff of 60 years may not be necessary with careful donor and recipient selection. Abbreviations: CIT, cold ischemia time; DBD, donation after brain death; DCD, donation after circulatory death; DWIT, donor warm ischemia time; LT, liver transplantation; MELD, Model for EndStage Liver Disease.
Product Kernel Interpolation for Scalable Gaussian Processes

Recent work shows that inference for Gaussian processes can be performed efficiently using iterative methods that rely only on matrix-vector multiplications (MVMs). Structured Kernel Interpolation (SKI) exploits these techniques by deriving approximate kernels with very fast MVMs. Unfortunately, such strategies suffer badly from the curse of dimensionality. We develop a new technique for MVM based learning that exploits product kernel structure. We demonstrate that this technique is broadly applicable, resulting in linear rather than exponential runtime with dimension for SKI, as well as state-of-the-art asymptotic complexity for multi-task GPs.
Organic Nutrient Fluxes

Inorganic nutrients have been the focus of most studies of the cycling and leaching of elements after disturbance. However, soluble organic nutrients, such as the forms of C, N, and P that are bound in organic matter, are also released from living and dead organic matter. The mechanisms by which inorganic nutrients are retained or lost after clearcutting are generally well known and illustrated in many studies. These include loss of root uptake (Likens and Bormann 1995), rapid recovery of root uptake by stump sprouts (Boring et al. 1988), recovery of root uptake by seedling growth (Marks 1974), delayed mineralization and subsequent nitrification due to a high C/N ratio in litter (Vitousek et al. 1979), temporary sorption on ion exchange sites (Vitousek et al. 1979), and in the case of P, fixation or sorption on soil (Wood et al. 1984; Walbridge et al. 1991). The increase in water flu;; from the root zone due to cutting and the concomitant reduction in evapotranspiration also plays an important role in controlling the leaching of nutrients (Likens and Bormann 1995). The factors that control the leaching of organic nutrients after clearcutting or other disturbances, however, have not been extensively investigated. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is the major form of N in the streamwater draining many mature forest watersheds (Lewis 2002; Perakis and Hedin 2007). Relatively high concentrations of DON drain from the forest floor, and this DON also generally makes up most of the total N draining from the forest floor of intact forests (Quails et al. 1991; Michalzik et al. 2001). The importance of DON in solution transport in intact forests and the sudden inputs of potentially soluble nutrients in logging slash suggest that the transport of soluble organic nutrients may be important in the retention or loss of nutrients after clearcutting. Our objectives in this study were to (i) compare fluxes of the dissolved organic nutrients dissolved organic carbon (DOC), DON, and dissolved organic phosphorus
Characterisation of the biflavonoid hinokiflavone as a pre-mRNA splicing modulator that inhibits SENP

Here, we identify the plant biflavanoid hinokiflavone as an inhibitor of splicing in vitro and modulater of alternative splicing in multiple human cell lines. Hinokiflavone inhibits splicing in vitro by blocking one or more early steps of spliceosome assembly, leading to accumulation of the A complex. Multiple human cell lines treated with hinokiflavone show changes in the alternative splicing of different pre-mRNA substrates, but little or no change in transcription. They also show altered subnuclear organization, specifically of splicing factors required for A complex formation, which relocalized together with SUMO1 and SUMO2 into enlarged nuclear speckles. While most cell lines treated with hinokiflavone showed cell cycle arrest and eventual cell death, dependent on time and concentration, the promyelocytic NB4 cell line, which expresses the SUMO target PML-RARalpha fusion protein, was exquisitely sensitive to apoptosis following hinokiflavone treatment. Hinokiflavone treatment increased protein SUMOylation levels, both in in vitro splicing reactions and in cells, with little or no effect on levels of ubiquitinylated proteins. Hinokiflavone also inhibited the catalytic activity of purified E. coli expressed SUMO protease, SENP1 in vitro, indicating the increase in SUMOylated proteins results primarily from inhibition of de-SUMOylation. Using a quantitative proteomics assay we identified many SUMO2 sites whose levels increased following hinokiflavone treatment, with the major targets including 6 proteins that are associated with U2 snRNP and required for A complex formation. These data identify hinokiflavone as a SUMO protease inhibitor and indicate SUMOylation of splicing factors may be important for modulating splice site selection.
ESX‐1 and phthiocerol dimycocerosates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis act in concert to cause phagosomal rupture and host cell apoptosis

Although phthiocerol dimycocerosates (DIM) are major virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of human tuberculosis, little is known about their mechanism of action. Localized in the outer membrane of mycobacterial pathogens, DIM are predicted to interact with host cell membranes. Interaction with eukaryotic membranes is a property shared with another virulence factor of Mtb, the early secretory antigenic target EsxA (also known as ESAT‐6). This small protein, which is secreted by the type VII secretion system ESX‐1 (T7SS/ESX‐1), is involved in phagosomal rupture and cell death induced by virulent mycobacteria inside host phagocytes. In this work, by the use of several knock‐out or knock‐in mutants of Mtb or Mycobacterium bovis BCG strains and different cell biological assays, we present conclusive evidence that ESX‐1 and DIM act in concert to induce phagosomal membrane damage and rupture in infected macrophages, ultimately leading to host cell apoptosis. These results identify an as yet unknown function for DIM in the infection process and open up a new research field for the study of the interaction of lipid and protein virulence factors of Mtb.
Barriers to Family Caregivers’ Coping With Patients With Severe Mental Illness in Iran

The broad spectrum of problems caused by caring for a patient with mental illness imposes a high burden on family caregivers. This can affect how they cope with their mentally ill family members. Identifying caregivers’ experiences of barriers to coping is necessary to develop a program to help them overcome these challenges. This qualitative content analysis study explored barriers impeding family caregivers’ ability to cope with their relatives diagnosed with severe mental illness (defined here as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and bipolar affective disorders). Sixteen family caregivers were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed using a semi-structured in-depth interview method. Data were analyzed by a conventional content analytic approach. Findings consisted of four major categories: the patient’s isolation from everyday life, incomplete recovery, lack of support by the mental health care system, and stigmatization. Findings highlight the necessity of providing support for caregivers by the mental health care delivery service system.