Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decay dynamics and exciton localization in large GaAs quantum dots grown by droplet epitaxy

We investigate the optical emission and decay dynamics of excitons confined in large strain-free GaAs quantum dots grown by droplet epitaxy. From time-resolved measurements combined with a theoretical model we show that droplet-epitaxy quantum dots have a quantum efficiency of about 75% and an oscillator strength between 8 and 10. The quantum dots are found to be fully described by a model for strongly-confined excitons, in contrast to the theoretical prediction that excitons in large quantum dots exhibit the so-called giant oscillator strength. We attribute these findings to localized ground-state excitons in potential minima created by material intermixing during growth. We provide further evidence for the strong-confinement regime of excitons by extracting the size of electron and hole wavefunctions from the phonon-broadened photoluminescence spectra. Furthermore, we explore the temperature dependence of the decay dynamics and, for some quantum dots, observe a pronounced reduction in the effective transition strength with temperature. We quantify and explain these effects as being an intrinsic property of large quantum dots owing to thermal excitation of the ground-state exciton. Our results provide a detailed understanding of the optical properties of large quantum dots in general, and of quantum dots grown by droplet epitaxy in particular.
Time-Varying Moth-Inspired Algorithm for Chemical Plume Tracing in Turbulent Environment

In this study, we propose a robust chemical plume tracing (CPT) algorithm for various environments. We developed this algorithm based on the behavior of insects that have CPT abilities globally. However, it is difficult to accurately estimate the behavior pattern from trajectory data because the trajectory contains a high level of measurement noise. We employed flight muscle electromyograms, whose motor commands were assumed to be generated in the same ganglion as the behavior, to estimate the behavior pattern using a support vector machine. By using the estimated results, we modeled the time-varying behavioral change of insects and verified the effectiveness of the phenomenon for CPT using the constructive approach. We named this time-varying CPT algorithm as time-varying moth-inspired algorithm. From the CPT experiment results using the robot, we found that the localization success rate improved by changing the behavior in a time-variant manner.
The Trafficking Protein GABARAP Binds to and Enhances Plasma Membrane Expression and Function of the Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor

Proteins that bind to the intracellular expanses, particularly cytoplasmic tail regions, of heptahelical integral membrane receptors are of particular interest in that they can mediate or modulate trafficking or intracellular signaling. In an effort to distinguish new proteins that might promote angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor intracellular events, we screened a yeast 2-hybrid mouse brain library with the rat AT1A receptor (AT1R) carboxyl terminus and identified GABARAP, a protein involved in intracellular trafficking of the GABAA receptor, as a binding partner for the AT1R. Interaction of GABARAP with the AT1R carboxyl terminus was further substantiated using GST pull-down assays, and binding of the full-length tagged AT1R to GABARAP was verified using coimmunoprecipitation. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assays further confirmed specific interaction of GABARAP with AT1R. Moreover, GABARAP clearly increased the steady-state level of plasma membrane-associated AT1R in PC-12 cells. Cotransfection of GABARAP with an AT1R fluorescent fusion protein increased PC-12 cell surface expression of the AT1R more than 6-fold when standardized to the level of intracellular expression. Furthermore, GABARAP overexpression in CHO-K1 cells engineered to express AT1R increased angiotensin II binding sites 3.7-fold and angiotensin II–induced phospho–extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and cellular proliferation significantly over levels obtained with AT1R overexpression alone. In addition, small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown of GABARAP reduced the steady-state levels of the AT1R fluorescent fusion protein by 43% and its cell surface expression by 84%. Immunoblot analyses confirmed the quantitative image data. We conclude that GABARAP binds to and promotes trafficking of the AT1R to the plasma membrane.
Inheritance of coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease has been for many years a familiar diagnosis to those interested in the diseases of children. The signs and symptoms (Buchan, 1786; Gee, 1888) are those that might be expected in any extensive disturbance of absorption. As fibrocystic disease (Andersen, 1938) and other welldefined causes of malabsorption have been recognized, there has been a resulting change in the scope of 'coeliac disease'. It may be that even now 'coeliac disease' is not a single disorder, but present experience seems to indicate that if coeliac disease is defined as a malabsorptive disorder associated with villous atrophy of the jejunum and responding to withdrawal of gluten from the diet, it becomes a sufficiently well-defined entity to make study of its aetiology possible.
Recognition and Hydrolysis of Noncrystalline Cellulose*

Cellulase Cel5A from alkalophilicBacillus sp. 1139 contains a family 17 carbohydrate-binding module (BspCBM17) and a family 28 CBM (BspCBM28) in tandem. The two modules have significantly similar amino acid sequences, but amino acid residues essential for binding are not conserved. BspCBM28 was obtained as a discrete polypeptide by engineering the cel5A gene.BspCBM17 could not be obtained as a discrete polypeptide, so a family 17 CBM from endoglucanase Cel5A of Clostridium cellulovorans, CcCBM17, was used to compare the binding characteristics of the two families of CBM. BothCcCBM17 and BspCBM28 recognized two classes of binding sites on amorphous cellulose: a high affinity site (K a ∼1 × 106 m −1) and a low affinity site (K a ∼2 × 104 m −1). They did not compete for binding to the high affinity sites, suggesting that they bound at different sites on the cellulose. A polypeptide, BspCBM17/CBM28, comprising the tandem CBMs from Cel5A, bound to amorphous cellulose with a significantly higher affinity than the sum of the affinities ofCcCBM17 and BspCBM28, indicating cooperativity between the linked CBMs. Cel5A mutants were constructed that were defective in one or both of the CBMs. The mutants differed from the wild-type enzyme in the amounts and sizes of the soluble products produced from amorphous cellulose. This suggests that either the CBMs can modify the action of the catalytic module of Cel5A or that they target the enzyme to areas of the cellulose that differ in susceptibility to hydrolysis.
Identifying the relationship between job insecurity and employee performance - An evidence from private colleges in Larkana, Pakistan

Ozet: This quantitative study determines the impact of job insecurity on employee job performance. Furthermore, the research includes the detailed study of the factors that impact on job insecurity which make employees insecure and uncertain towards their job particularly in higher secondary education, private colleges in Larkana, Pakistan. Moreover, research was conducted through responses collected by teachers in private colleges of Larkana with the help of close ended questionnaire developed on dichotomous and 5- point Likert scale. Lastly, recommendations were made to increase employee performance for better organizational health.
Epidemiological and entomological surveillance of the co‐circulation of DEN‐1, DEN‐2 and DEN‐4 viruses in French Guiana

We surveyed the disease epidemiology of dengue in French Guiana after the first dengue haemorrhagic fever epidemic from 1991 to 1993 and during an endemic period from 1993 to 1995. DEN‐1, DEN‐2 and DEN‐4 viruses were isolated from patients and DEN‐4 was also isolated from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Cases of dengue were reported from all over the country, not only from urban areas, but also from rural areas and isolated human settlements, indicating widespread circulation of the viruses. The mosquito vector A. aegypti was found in all inhabited areas of French Guiana and small outdoor containers were the most common breeding grounds. Some ecological features of A. aegypti, such as larvae breeding in Bromeliad plants in the rainforest, a non‐exclusive anthropophily and a high vertical transmission rate for dengue viruses, indicate that A. aegypti can behave as a reservoir for dengue viruses in silent areas. Dengue viruses may survive at an endemic level and cause outbreaks when unknown conditions become more favourable. This finding adds to our knowledge of the natural history of dengue viruses in the Americas.
Clinical correlates of quality of life in systemic sclerosis measured with the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II.

OBJECTIVE To identify the clinical characteristics of systemic sclerosis (SSc) that best correlate with the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with SSc, using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) as the measure of HRQOL. METHODS A cross-sectional, multicenter study of 337 patients from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group Registry was conducted. Patients were assessed through detailed clinical histories, medical examination, and the WHODAS II. Hierarchical multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship between selected clinical variables and HRQOL. RESULTS The mean WHODAS II score was 23.7 (range 0-100), with the greatest impairments seen in the subscales measuring life activities, mobility, and participation in society. In multivariate analysis, significant predictors of the WHODAS II were skin scores, shortness of breath, number of gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, pain, and depression. The final model explained 61% of the variance in the WHODAS II scores. CONCLUSION The clinical characteristics identified in this study as significant correlates of HRQOL in SSc should each be targets of intervention in order to improve the HRQOL of patients with this disease.
Protective immunity induced by a LLO‐deficient Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a food‐borne pathogen able to cause serious disease in human and animals. Listeriolysin O (LLO), a major virulence factor secreted by this bacterium, is a vacuole‐specific lysin that facilitates bacterial entrance into the host cytosol. Thus, LLO plays a key role in the translocation and intracellular spread of L. monocytogenes. To study the effect of LLO on virulence and immunopotency, a LLO‐deficient L. monocytogenes mutant was constructed using a shuttle vector followed by homologous recombination. The mutant strain had lost hemolytic activity, which resulted in an extremely reduced virulence, 5 logs lower than that of the parent strain, yzuLM4, in BALB/c mice. The number of bacteria detected in the spleens and livers of mice infected with the mutant was greatly reduced, and the bacteria were rapidly eliminated by the host. Kinetics studies in this murine model of infection showed that the invasion ability of the mutant strain was much lower than that of the parent strain. Moreover, immunization with the mutant strain conferred protective immunity against listerial infection. In particular, stimulation with Ag85B240‐259, strong specific Th1 type cellular immunity was elicited by vaccination C57BL/6 mice with hly deficient strain delivering Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion antigen Ag85B‐ESAT‐6 via intravenous inoculation. These results clearly show that highly attenuated LLO‐deficient L. monocytogenes is an attractive vaccine carrier for delivering heterologous antigens.
Transcallosal Connectivity Changes from Infancy to Late Adulthood: An Ex Vivo Diffusion Spectrum Imaging Study of Macaque Brains

Interhemispheric communication plays a critical role to ensure normal brain functions in cognition and behavior. Since non-human primate (NHP) brains resemble most aspects of the human brain, a thorough knowledge of interhemispheric cortical connectivity changes in NHP brains throughout the developmental and aging periods may provide valuable insights for translational and clinical research. In this study, formalin-fixed rhesus monkey brains aged from 1 to 24 years were utilized to examine transcallosal connectivity changes using diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI). It was found that the transcallosal connectivity for most frontal cortical areas, including dorso- and ventro-lateral prefrontal, premotor, and motor cortices, demonstrated pronounced age-related alterations. However, such a pattern was less obvious in temporal, posterior parietal, and visual cortices. The DSI results reveal the age-related evolution pattern of transcallosal connectivity in various cortical areas of macaque brains from infancy to late adulthood, and may have implications for assessing the functional defects or alterations in the associated cortical areas during brain development and aging in humans.
Paracoccus angustae sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, coccus-shaped, aerobic bacterium, strain E6T, was isolated from soil. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed a cluster containing strain E6T and Paracoccus sediminis CMB17T (the highest 16S rRNA gene similarity of 97.2 %). The other strains investigated showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of less than 97 % to strain E6T. The DNA–DNA relatedness between strain E6T and P. sediminis DSM 26170T was 59.2 %. Strain E6T also shows some differences compared with other Paracoccus strains such as motility and inability to utilize lactate and propionate as sole carbon sources. The major fatty acids of strain E6T were C18 : 1ω7c and C18 : 0 and ubiquinone-10 was the only respiratory quinone. Strain E6T had diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unknown aminolipid and an unknown glycolipid as major polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 68.1 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain E6T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Paracoccus, for which the name Paracoccus angustae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E6T ( = KCTC 42473T = CCTCC AB 2015056T).
Advances in Brief p 53-dependent Global Genomic Repair of Benzo [ a ] pyrene-7 , 8-diol-9 , 10-epoxide Adducts in Human Cells 1

The global genomic repair of DNA adducts formed by the human carcinogen (6)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) has been studied byP-postlabeling in human fibroblasts in which p53 expression can be regulated. At low BPDE adduct levels (10–50 adducts/10 8 nucleotides), repair was rapid and essentially complete within 24 h in p53 cells, whereas no repair was detected within 72 h in similarly treated p53 cells. At 10-fold higher BPDE adduct levels, repair under both conditions was rapid up to 8 h, after which a low level of adducts persisted only in p53 cells. These results demonstrate a dependence on p53 for the efficient repair of BPDE adducts at levels that are relevant to human environmental exposure and, thus, have significant implications for human carcinogenesis.
Pharmacokinetics of 3H‐Fentanyl in the Dog Anesthetized with Enflurane

Fentanyl is often used as an anesthetic supplement for short procedures because it has a rapid onset and brief duration of action. However, persistence of ventilatory depression several hours following the last dose has been seen. The authors studied the pharmacokinetics of fentanyl in the dog to find an explanation for the occasionally prolonged duration of action. 3H-fentanyl citrate, 10 or 100 μg/kg, was injected intravenously is dogs anesthetized with enflurane—O2. Arterial plasma and urine were analyzed for unchanged 3H-fentanyl and for total 3H radioactivity. Kinetic indices were derived by nonlinear least-squares analysis of log concentration (ng/ml) vs. time relationships. Initially, the elimination of fentanyl from plasma was very rapid, and 98 per cent of the amount administered was removed from plasma in the first 5 min after an intravenous injection. However, the terminal elimination phase was prolonged (t1/2 = 199 ± 17 min). The apparent volume of distribution was large (9.8 1/kg) and independent of dose. Repetitive doses produced an accumulation of fentanyl. 3H-labelled metabolites of fentanyl were present in the earliest samples of plasma, and accounted for the major portion of the total 3H radioactivity in both plasma and urine. Urine collected for six hours contained 36 per cent of the total 3H radioactivity administered, but only 4 per cent of fentanyl administered was excreted as unchanged fentanyl. The authors conclude that most of a single dose of fentanyl is rapidly eliminated from plasma (and presumably brain) by biotransformation to inactive metabolites and by uptake of the active drug by body tissues. The high affinity of tissues for fentanyl limits the rate of its ultimate elimination from the body by biotransformation and leads to accumulation of the drug when administered in very large or repeated doses. Under these circumstances the slow release of drug from tissues results in persistent plasma levels of fentanyl and a prolonged duration of action.
Implications of climate change for expanding cities worldwide

This paper analyses the trends of the changing environmental effects within growing megacities as their diameters exceed 50–100 km and their populations rise beyond 30 million people. The authors consider how these effects are influenced by climate change, to which urban areas themselves contribute, caused by their increasing greenhouse gas emissions associated with rapidly expanding energy use. Other environmental and social factors are assessed, quantitatively and qualitatively, using detailed modelling of urban mesoscale meteorology, which shows how these factors can lead to large conurbations becoming more vulnerable to climatic and environmental hazards. The paper discusses the likely changes in meteorological and hydrological hazards in urban areas, both as the climate changes and the sizes of urban areas grow. Examples are given of how these risks are being reduced through innovations in warning and response systems, planning and infrastructure design, which should include refuges against extreme n.
Myopic refractive shift represents dense nuclear sclerosis and thin lens in lenticular myopia

It is not rare to meet unilateral nuclear sclerotic cataracts with myopic refractive changes (lenticular myopia) compared with the fellow eye in the ophthalmic examination of patients with decreased visual acuity. To determine the relationship between the myopic refractive changes and interocular differences of parameters, we investigated the interocular differences of ocular parameters between a lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye.
Deodorants: an experimental provocation study with isoeugenol

Axillary dermatitis is common and overrepresented in people with contact allergy to fragrances. Many people suspect their deodorants to be the incriminating products. In order to investigate the significance of isoeugenol in deodorants for the development of axillary dermatitis when used by people with and without contact allergy to isoeugenol, patch tests with deodorants and ethanol solutions with isoeugenol, as well as repeated open application tests (ROAT) with roll‐on deodorants with and without isoeugenol at various concentrations, were performed in 35 dermatitis patients, 10 without and 25 with contact allergy to isoeugenol. A positive ROAT was observed only in patients hypersensitive to isoeugenol (P < 0.001) and only in the axilla to which the deodorants containing isoeugenol had been applied (P < 0.001). Deodorants containing isoeugenol in the concentration range of 0.0063–0.2% used 2 times daily on healthy skin can thus elicit axillary dermatitis within a few weeks in people with contact allergy to isoeugenol.
Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of intravenous and oral fleroxacin in subjects with normal and impaired renal function and in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

The pharmacokinetics of fleroxacin, including the formation of N-demethyl and N-oxide fleroxacin after the administration of single intravenous (100-mg) and oral (400-mg) doses, was investigated in 26 subjects with various levels of renal function, including 7 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Fleroxacin was well tolerated by all subjects. The volume of distribution, systemic availability, and peak concentration after the administration of oral fleroxacin were independent of the glomerular filtration rate. As a consequence of a declining renal clearance but not nonrenal clearance, the total body clearance of fleroxacin declined with decreasing glomerular filtration rate from 1.41 +/- 0.23 ml/min per kg in subjects with normal renal function to 0.58 +/- 0.13 ml/min per kg in patients with end-stage renal disease (r = 0.84, P less than 0.001). The analysis revealed that the N-oxide metabolite exhibited formation-limited kinetics and the N-demethyl metabolite exhibited elimination-limited kinetics. The areas under the curve of both metabolites increased with declining renal function. In patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis the mean dialysate/plasma concentration ratio of fleroxacin increased from 0.52 +/- 0.11 to 0.71 +/- 0.13 (P less than 0.001) with increasing dwell time, resulting in a 7.8 +/- 3.6% recovery of unchanged fleroxacin in peritoneal dialysate. In conclusion, (i) a 50% reduction of the maintenance dose is recommended in patients with a renal function below 20 to 30 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and (ii) therapeutic concentrations of fleroxacin in the peritoneal dialysate should be achievable after oral administration in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
Utilization of nucleoside monophosphates per Se for intraperiplasmic growth of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

During growth of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus on Escherichia coli, there was a marked preferential use of E. coli phosphorus over exogenous orthophosphate even though the latter permeated into the intraperiplasmic space where the bdellovibrio was growing. This preferential use occurred to an equal extent for lipid phosphorus and nucleic acid phosphorus. Exogenous thymidine-5'-monophosphate competed effectively with [3H]thymine residues of E. coli as a precursor for bdellovibrio deoxyribonucleic acid; exogenous thymidine competed less effectively and thymine and uridine not at all. A mixture of exogenous nucleoside-5'-monophosphates equilibrated effectively with E. coli phosphorus as a phosphorus source for B. bacteriovorus; the nucleotide phosphorus entered preferentially into bdellovibrio nucleic acids. A comparable mixture of exogenous nucleosides plus orthophosphate had only a small effect on utilization of E. coli phosphorus by B. bacteriovorus, as did orthophosphate alone. A mixture of exogenous deoxyriboside monophosphates equilibrium effectively with E. coli phosphorus as a phosphorus source for bdellovibrio growth; the phosphorus from this source entered preferentially into deoxyribonucleic acid. These data show that nucleoside monophosphates derived from the substrate organism are utilized directly for n-cleic acid biosynthesis by B. bacteriovorus growing intraperiplasmically. As a consequence, the phosphate ester bonds preexisting in the nucleic acids of the substrate organism are conserved by the bdellovibrio, presumably lessening its energy requirement for intraperiplasmic growth. The data also suggest, but do not prove, that the phosphate ester bonds of phospholipids are also conserved.