Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of vertically aligned CaTiO3 nanotubes with simple hydrothermal method and its photoelectrochemical property

Perovskite-type oxides have become the hotspots of functional materials due to their various excellent performances. As a typical material with a perovskite structure, CaTiO3 (CTO) possesses a similar band gap to TiO2 with less defects and recombination centers, which makes it a promising alternative material to TiO2. In particular, the CTO nanotube structure has a large specific surface area and unique photochemical and electron-transport properties, and these advantages further expand its application range. In this paper, a highly ordered and vertically aligned CTO nanotube array was successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method with TiO2 nanotube (TNT) arrays as the precursor. It was found that the CTO nanotube had a higher optical absorption ability (3.4 eV), photovoltage (500 mV) and photocurrent density (0.004 A cm−1) under ultraviolet irradiation, compared to the TNT (350 mV and 0.0036 A cm−1). At the same time, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Mott–Schottky and stability tests indicate that the CTO nanotube might be a promising alternative choice as the photoelectric material for a TNT.
Validation of IIR/CALIPSO Level 1 Measurements by Comparison with Collocated Airborne Observations during CIRCLE-2 and Biscay ‘08 Campaigns

AbstractIn the frame of validation of the spatial observations from the radiometer IIR on board CALIPSO, the two airborne campaigns Cirrus Cloud Experiment (CIRCLE)-2 and Biscay ‘08 took place in 2007 and 2008 in the western part of France, over the Atlantic Ocean. During these experiments, remote sensing measurements were made over cirrus clouds, right under the track of Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) in space and time collocation. For this purpose, a Falcon-20 aircraft was equipped with the Lidar pour l’Etude des Interactions Aerosols Nuages Dynamique Rayonnement et du Cycle de l’Eau (LEANDRE)-New Generation (NG) and the thermal infrared radiometer Conveyable Low-Noise Infrared Radiometer for Measurements of Atmosphere and Ground Surface Targets (CLIMAT)-Airborne Version (AV), whose spectral characteristics are strongly similar to those of the infrared imaging radiometer (IIR). In situ measurements were also taken in cirrus clouds during CIRCLE-2. After comp.
Synthesis and Analytical Applications of Quantum Dots Coated with Different Generations of DAB Dendrimers

Quantum dots (QDs), also known as luminescent nanocrystals, are a special class of semiconductors that possesses remarkable fluorescence emission properties (Coe et al., 2002; Tessler et al., 2002). Due to their unique optical characteristics, which include sharp emission spectra, QDs have been utilized for fluorescent tagging applications, demonstrating the advantages of high photobleaching threshold, good chemical stability, and readily tuneable spectral properties (Lebedkin et al., 2003; Hartschuh et al., 2003; Li et al., 2007; Leitao et al., 2008; Goncalves et al., 2009). QDs have semiconductor properties different from bulk material due to the quantum confinement effects on their molecular band structure (Chen et al., 2003). The synthesis, modification, and applicability of cadmium chalcogenide nanocrystals, in particular cadmium sulfide (CdS), have been optimized (Alivisatos, 1996; Weller, 1993). The interaction of the CdS nanocrystals with its environment or capping agent plays crucial role in determining its photoluminescent properties and reactivity (Aldana et al., 2001; Talapin et al., 2001; Wuister & Meijerink, 2003a,b; Uchihara et al., 2005; Chen & Rosenzweig, 2002). Polymer coating of QDs, rendering them biocompatibility and biostability, confers an important biomedical role in diagnostics and biochemical sensing (Pileni et al., 1992; GattasAsfura & Leblanc, 2003; Gao et al., 2008). Dendrimers are a particularly interesting class of emerging nanopharmaceuticals that can be used as capping agents of QDs. Diaminobutane-based poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers (DAB) (Fig. 1) have been synthesised (Etienne et al., 2005) and applied for in vitro diagnostics (Schatzlein et al., 2005; Bawarski et al., 2008; Hezinger et al., 2008; Dutta et al., 2008) tested in preclinical studies as contrast agent for nuclear magnetic resonance (Kobayashi et al., 2003; Talanov et al., 2006). There are attempts to use dendrimers in the targeted of delivery of drugs and other therapeutic agents (Crampton & Simanek, 2007). Drug molecules can be loaded both in the interior of the dendrimers as well as attached to the surface groups (Liu et al., 2000; Fernandez et al., 2006) and used as therapeutic agents, for example in cancer treatment (Hollins et al., 2004; Svenson & Tomalia, 2005). Besides biomedical applications, dendrimers can be used to improve many industrial processes. The combination of high surface area and high solubility makes dendrimers useful as nanoscale catalyst (Yu et al., 2008). The high potential of these compounds opens new perspectives to
QM Cluster or QM/MM in Computational Enzymology: The Test Case of LigW-Decarboxylase

The catalytic mechanism of the decarboxylation of 5-carboxyvanillate by LigW producing vanillic acid has been studied by using QM cluster and hybrid QM/MM methodologies. In the QM cluster model, the environment of a small QM model is treated with a bulky potential while two QM/MM models studies include partial and full protein with and without explicitly treated water solvent. The studied reaction involves two sequential steps: the protonation of the carbon of the 5-carboxy-vanillate substrate and the decarboxylation of the intermediate from which results deprotonated vanillic acid as product. The structures and energetics obtained by using three structural models and two density functionals are quite consistent to each other. This indicates that the small QM cluster model of the presently considered enzymatic reaction is appropriate enough and the reaction is mainly influenced by the active site.
A powerful affine invariant test for multivariate normality based on interpoint distances of principal components

ABSTRACT In this paper, a probability plots class of tests for multivariate normality is introduced. Based on independent standardized principal components of a d-variate normal data set, we obtained the sum of squared differences between corresponding observations of an ordered set of each principal component observations and the set of the population pth quantiles of the standard normal distribution. We proposed the sum of these d-sums of squared differences as an appropriate statistic for testing multivariate normality. We evaluated empirical critical values of the statistic and compared its power with those of some highly regarded techniques with a wonderful result.
1 Reconciling High-level Optimizations and Low-level Code with Twin Memory Allocation

LLVM miscompiles certain programs in C, C++, and Rust that use low-level language features such as raw pointers in Rust or conversion between integers and pointers in C or C++. The problem is that it is difficult for the compiler to implement aggressive, high-level memory optimizations while also respecting the guarantees made by the programming languages to low-level programs. A deeper problem is that the memory model for LLVM’s intermediate representation (IR) is informal and the semantics of corner cases are not always clear to all compiler developers. We developed a novel memory model for LLVM IR and formalized it. The new model requires a handful of problematic IR-level optimizations to be removed, but it also supports the addition of new optimizations that were not previously legal. We have implemented the new model and shown that it fixes all known memory-model-related miscompilations without impacting the quality of generated code.
Predictors of Urinary Arsenic Levels among Postmenopausal Danish Women

Arsenic is a risk factor for several noncommunicable diseases, even at low doses. Urinary arsenic (UAs) concentration is a good biomarker for internal dose, and demographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors are proposed predictors in nonoccupationally exposed populations. However, most predictor studies are limited in terms of size and number of predictors. We investigated demographic, dietary, and lifestyle determinants of UAs concentrations in 744 postmenopausal Danish women who had UAs measurements and questionnaire data on potential predictors. UAs concentrations were determined using mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and determinants of the concentration were investigated using univariate and multivariate regression models. We used a forward selection procedure for model optimization. In all models, fish, alcohol, and poultry intake were associated with higher UAs concentration, and tap water, fruit, potato, and dairy intake with lower concentration. A forward regression model explained 35% (R2) of the variation in concentrations. Age, smoking, education, and area of residence did not predict concentration. The results were relatively robust across sensitivity analyses. The study suggested that UAs concentration in postmenopausal women was primarily determined by dietary factors, with fish consumption showing the strongest direct association. However, the majority of variation in UAs concentration in this study population is still unexplained.
Profiling of lung microbiota in the patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract Lung microbiota may affect innate immunity and treatment consequence in the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained from 11 OSA patients and 8 patients with other lung diseases as control, and used for lung microbiota profiling by PCR amplification and sequencing of the microbial samples. It was demonstrated that phyla of Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Bacteriodetes were relatively abundant in the lung microbiota. Alpha-diversity comparison between OSA and control group revealed that Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria were significantly higher in OSA patients (0.3863 ± 0.0631 and 0.0682 ± 0.0159, respectively) than that in control group (0.119 ± 0.074 and 0.0006 ± 0.0187, respectively, P < .05 for both phyla). In contrast, Firmicutes was significantly less in OSA patients (0.1371 ± 0.0394) compared with that in the control group (0.384 ± 0.046, P < .05). Comparison within a group (ß-diversity) indicated that the top 5 phyla in the OSA lung were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Acidobacteria, while the top 5 phyla in the control group were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. These findings indicated that lung microbiota in OSA is distinct from that of non-OSA patients. Manipulation of the microbiota may be an alternative strategy to augment airway immunity and to reduce susceptibility to airway infection.
Grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: Associations with alcohol use, alcohol problems and problem recognition

Abstract Objective: This study fills a gap in the literature by examining the relationship between two types of narcissism, vulnerable and grandiose, and five alcohol-related outcomes (ie, alcohol use, alcohol problems, evaluation and expectancies of problems, and readiness to change). Participants: 345 college students (28% men, 72% women) from a Midwestern university were recruited from undergraduate psychology courses from April 2015 to October 2016. Methods: Participants completed an online survey with questionnaires measuring the variables of interest. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Results: Grandiose narcissism was a positive predictor of alcohol consumption and a positive (ie, good) evaluation of alcohol-related problems. Vulnerable narcissism was a positive predictor of alcohol-related problems, problem recognition (ie, readiness to change), and problem expectancies. Conclusions: The results speak to the effects that different types of narcissism have on alcohol use, alcohol problems and attitudes towards alcohol problems among young adults.
Signal Entanglement Based Pinpoint Waveforming for Location-Restricted Service Access Control

We propose a novel wireless technique named pinpoint waveforming to achieve the location-restricted service access control, i.e., providing wireless services to users at eligible locations only. The proposed system is inspired by the fact that when two identical wireless signals arrive at a receiver simultaneously, they will constructively interfere with each other to form a boosted signal whose amplitude is twice of that of an individual signal. As such, the location-restricted service access control can be achieved through transmitting at a weak power, so that receivers at undesired locations (where the constructive interference vanishes), will experience a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and hence a high bit error rate that retards the correct decoding of received messages. At the desired location (where the constructive interference happens), the receiver obtains a boosted SNR that enables the correct message decoding. To solve the difficulty of determining an appropriate transmit power, we propose to entangle the original transmit signals with jamming signals of opposite phase. The jamming signals can significantly reduce the SNR at the undesired receivers but cancel each other at the desired receiver to cause no impact. With the jamming entanglement, the transmit power can be any value specified by the system administrator. To enable the jamming entanglement, we create the channel calibration technique that allows the synchronization of transmit signals at the desired location. We develop a prototype system using the Universal Software Defined Radio Peripherals (USRPs). The evaluation results show that the receiver at the desired location obtains a throughput ranging between 0.9 and 0.93, whereas an eavesdropper that is 0.3 meter away from a desired location has a throughput approximately equal to 0.
Donor Site Location Is Critical for Proliferation, Stem Cell Capacity, and Osteogenic Differentiation of Adipose Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells: Implications for Bone Tissue Engineering

Human adipose mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (Ad-MSCs) have been proposed as a suitable option for bone tissue engineering. However, donor age, weight, and gender might affect the outcome. There is still a lack of knowledge of the effects the donor tissue site might have on Ad-MSCs function. Thus, this study investigated proliferation, stem cell, and osteogenic differentiation capacity of human Ad-MSCs obtained from subcutaneous fat tissue acquired from different locations (abdomen, hip, thigh, knee, and limb). Ad-MSCs from limb and knee showed strong proliferation despite the presence of osteogenic stimuli, resulting in limited osteogenic characteristics. The less proliferative Ad-MSCs from hip and thigh showed the highest alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and matrix mineralization. Ad-MSCs from the abdomen showed good proliferation and osteogenic characteristics. Interestingly, the observed differences were not dependent on donor age, weight, or gender, but correlated with the expression of Sox2, Lin28A, Oct4α, and Nanog. Especially, low basal Sox2 levels seemed to be pivotal for osteogenic differentiation. Our data clearly show that the donor tissue site affects the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of Ad-MSCs significantly. Thus, for bone tissue engineering, the donor site of the adipose tissue from which the Ad-MSCs are derived should be adapted depending on the requirements, e.g., cell number and differentiation state.
Unsupervised learning by competing hidden units

Significance Despite great success of deep learning a question remains to what extent the computational properties of deep neural networks are similar to those of the human brain. The particularly nonbiological aspect of deep learning is the supervised training process with the backpropagation algorithm, which requires massive amounts of labeled data, and a nonlocal learning rule for changing the synapse strengths. This paper describes a learning algorithm that does not suffer from these two problems. It learns the weights of the lower layer of neural networks in a completely unsupervised fashion. The entire algorithm utilizes local learning rules which have conceptual biological plausibility. It is widely believed that end-to-end training with the backpropagation algorithm is essential for learning good feature detectors in early layers of artificial neural networks, so that these detectors are useful for the task performed by the higher layers of that neural network. At the same time, the traditional form of backpropagation is biologically implausible. In the present paper we propose an unusual learning rule, which has a degree of biological plausibility and which is motivated by Hebb’s idea that change of the synapse strength should be local—i.e., should depend only on the activities of the pre- and postsynaptic neurons. We design a learning algorithm that utilizes global inhibition in the hidden layer and is capable of learning early feature detectors in a completely unsupervised way. These learned lower-layer feature detectors can be used to train higher-layer weights in a usual supervised way so that the performance of the full network is comparable to the performance of standard feedforward networks trained end-to-end with a backpropagation algorithm on simple tasks.
Polarized vs. High Intensity Multimodal Training in Recreational Runners.

PURPOSE This study longitudinally compared changes in running performance (5-km TT) and fitness (VO2max, body composition) between polarized training and CrossFit Endurance© in recreational runners. METHODS Participants (N=21) completed 12 weeks of CrossFit Endurance (CFE) or polarized endurance training (POL). Both groups trained 5 d·wk-1. POL ran 5 d·wk-1 while CFE ran 3 d·wk-1 and performed CrossFit© 3 d·wk-1 (run + CF 1 d·wk-1). Intensity was classified as low, moderate, or high (Zone 1, 2, or 3) according to ventilatory thresholds. POL was prescribed greater volume (295±67 min·wk-1), distributed as 85/5/10% in Z1/Z2/Z3. CFE emphasized a lower volume (110±18 min·wk-1) distribution of 48/8/44%. RESULTS POL ran 283±75.9 min·wk-1 and 47.3±11.6 km·wk-1, both exceeding the 117±32.2 min·wk-1 and 19.3±7.17 km·wk-1 in CFE (p<0.001). The POL distribution (74/11/15%) had greater total and percent Z1 (p<0.001) than CFE (46/15/39%), which featured higher percent Z3 (p<0.001). TT improved -93.8±40.4s (-6.21±2.16%) in POL (p<0.001) and -84.2±65.7s (-5.49±3.56%) in CFE (p=0.001). Body composition improved by -2.45±2.59 %fat in POL (p=0.02) and -2.62±2.53% CFE (p=0.04). The magnitude of improvement was not different between groups for TT (p=0.79) or BC (p=0.88). Both groups increased VO2 max (p≤0.01), but with larger magnitude (p=0.04, d=0.85) in POL (4.3±3.6 ml·kg·min-1) than CFE (1.78±1.9 ml·kg·min-1). CONCLUSIONS Recreational runners achieved similar improvement in 5-km performance and body composition through polarized training or CFE, but POL yielded a greater increase in VO2 max. Extrapolation to longer distances requires additional research.
A study on urban development through land surface temperature by using remote sensing: in case of Ho Chi Minh City

In this research, remote sensing technology was used to evaluate urban development and its thermal characteristics through mapping impervious surfaces and evaluating thermal infrared images. The study is carried out in the northern part of Ho Chi Minh City, which is experienced an accelerated urban development since the end of 1980s. Landsat and Aster images were used to calculate the variation in urban impervious surfaces from 1989 to 2006. Thermal bands were processed to obtain land surface temperatures for investigating the urban heat island effect associated with increasing impervious surfaces both spatially and temporally.
Comparison of the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Various Contact Lens Solutions to Inhibit the Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus

Soft contact lenses provide perfect conditions for the breeding of pathogens. The study is a prospective, experimental study, conducted to know the antimicrobial ability of multipurpose contact lens solution against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the stand-alone test. The test method is based on the procedures in the ISO 14729 standard primary stand-alone test. Three multipurpose contact lens care solutions commercially available in Mangalore markets, namely, Biotrue (Bausch & Lomb), Opti-Free Replenish (Alcon), and Aquasoft (Stericon Pharma), were tested for its antimicrobial effect in the microbiology lab at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. According to this study, the solutions named “Biotrue” and “Aquasoft” met the primary stand-alone and reached the 3log reduction and 5log reduction criteria in the manufacturer recommended time, respectively. No conclusion could be drawn for Opti-Free Replenish since the minimum recommended disinfection time was overnight, whereas it was noted for 6 hr only, and it should have been experimented further. The effectiveness of multipurpose solutions varies against different bacterial species. We have observed that the antimicrobial activity of different solutions varies with respect to time of incubation, and also there was a marked difference in the activity of some solutions against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. So, it is necessary for the contact lens users to store their lenses in solutions for longer duration of hours. It is also recommended to use solutions that clear the ISO 14729 standards for better health conditions of the eye.
Genetic Regulation of Fibroblast Activation and Proliferation in Cardiac Fibrosis

Background: Genetic diversity and the heterogeneous nature of cardiac fibroblasts (CFbs) have hindered characterization of the molecular mechanisms that regulate cardiac fibrosis. The Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel offers a valuable tool to examine genetically diverse cardiac fibroblasts and their role in fibrosis. Methods: Three strains of mice (C57BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, and KK/HlJ) were selected from the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel and treated with either isoproterenol (ISO) or saline by an intraperitoneally implanted osmotic pump. After 21 days, cardiac function and levels of fibrosis were measured by echocardiography and trichrome staining, respectively. Activation and proliferation of CFbs were measured by in vitro and in vivo assays under normal and injury conditions. RNA sequencing was done on isolated CFbs from each strain. Results were analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and validated by reverse transcription-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA. Results: ISO treatment in C57BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, and KK/HlJ mice resulted in minimal, moderate, and extensive levels of fibrosis, respectively (n=7–8 hearts per condition). Isolated CFbs treated with ISO exhibited strain-specific increases in the levels of activation but showed comparable levels of proliferation. Similar results were found in vivo, with fibroblast activation, and not proliferation, correlating with the differential levels of cardiac fibrosis after ISO treatment. RNA sequencing revealed that CFbs from each strain exhibit unique gene expression changes in response to ISO. We identified Ltbp2 as a commonly upregulated gene after ISO treatment. Expression of LTBP2 was elevated and specifically localized in the fibrotic regions of the myocardium after injury in mice and in human heart failure patients. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of genetic variation in cardiac fibrosis by using multiple inbred mouse strains to characterize CFbs and their response to ISO treatment. Our data suggest that, although fibroblast activation is a response that parallels the extent of scar formation, proliferation may not necessarily correlate with levels of fibrosis. In addition, by comparing CFbs from multiple strains, we identified pathways as potential therapeutic targets and LTBP2 as a marker for fibrosis, with relevance to patients with underlying myocardial fibrosis.