Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy‐Autonomous, Flexible, and Transparent Tactile Skin

Tactile or electronic skin is needed to provide critical haptic perception to robots and amputees, as well as in wearable electronics for health monitoring and wellness applications. Energy autonomy of skin is a critical feature that would enable better portability and longer operation times. This study shows a novel structure, consisting of a transparent tactile sensitive layer based on single‐layer graphene, and a photovoltaic cell underneath as a building block for energy‐autonomous, flexible, and tactile skin. Transparency of the touch sensitive layer is considered a key feature to allow the photovoltaic cell to effectively harvest light. Moreover, ultralow power consumed by the sensitive layer (20 nW cm−2) further reduces the photovoltaic area required to drive the tactile skin. In addition to its energy autonomy, the fabricated skin is sensitive to touch, mainly because a transparent polymeric protective layer, spin‐coated on the sensor's active area, makes the coplanar capacitor sensitive to touch, detecting minimum pressures of 0.11 kPa with a uniform sensitivity of 4.3 Pa−1 along a broad pressure range. Finally, the tactile skin patches are integrated on a prosthetic hand, and the responses of the sensors for static and dynamic stimuli are evaluated by performing tasks, ranging from simple touching to grabbing of soft objects.
Online tool to guide decisions for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.

PURPOSE Women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations must choose between prophylactic surgeries and screening to manage their high risks of breast and ovarian cancer, comparing options in terms of cancer incidence, survival, and quality of life. A clinical decision tool could guide these complex choices. METHODS We built a Monte Carlo model for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, simulating breast screening with annual mammography plus magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from ages 25 to 69 years and prophylactic mastectomy (PM) and/or prophylactic oophorectomy (PO) at various ages. Modeled outcomes were cancer incidence, tumor features that shape treatment recommendations, overall survival, and cause-specific mortality. We adapted the model into an online tool to support shared decision making. RESULTS We compared strategies on cancer incidence and survival to age 70 years; for example, PO plus PM at age 25 years optimizes both outcomes (incidence, 4% to 11%; survival, 80% to 83%), whereas PO at age 40 years plus MRI screening offers less effective prevention, yet similar survival (incidence, 36% to 57%; survival, 74% to 80%). To characterize patients' treatment and survivorship experiences, we reported the tumor features and treatments associated with risk-reducing interventions; for example, in most BRCA2 mutation carriers (81%), MRI screening diagnoses stage I, hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, which may not require chemotherapy. CONCLUSION Cancer risk-reducing options for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers vary in their impact on cancer incidence, recommended treatments, quality of life, and survival. To guide decisions informed by multiple health outcomes, we provide an online tool for joint use by patients with their physicians (http://brcatool.stanford.edu).
Pesticide residues in berries harvested from South-Eastern Poland (2009-2011).

BACKGROUND Poland is a leading grower/producer of berries in Europe that are either eaten raw or processed. As well as berries this includes fruit such as grapes, strawberries and other small fruits. Testing for the presence of active substances in Plant Protection Products, (PPP), in such fruit is however important, as part of measures taken to minimise human intake. OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of pesticide residues in berries harvested from South-Eastern Poland in 2009-2011. MATERIAL AND METHODS . Chromatographic separation followed by analytical detection was performed on 250 samples of various test fruits using an accredited methodology: GC/ECD/NPD, together with spectrophotometric detection wherever necessary, according to PN-EN ISO/IEC 17025. As part of previous monitoring, 126 active substances were identified in 2009, 132 in 2010 and 153 in 2011; levels were compared to Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). RESULTS;. Analyses showed that 46.4% of samples contained PPPs of which 4% exceeded the MRL. The most were found in raspberries, (58.8% of all tested), followed by 58.3% redcurrants, and gooseberries as well as 50% grapes. The most frequently found active substances of PPPs were pyrimethanil (15.6%), dithiocarbamates (12.4%), procymidone (8%), cyprodinil (5.6%) and difenoconazole (5.2%). The highest MRL exceedances were found in blackcurrants. Testing also revealed many examples of pesticides not recommended for the protection of specific crops: propiconazole in gooseberries, cyprodinil, flusilazole, iprodione, pyrimethanil in blackcurrants and folpet and captan in raspberries. Furthermore, active substances whose use in PPPs have been forbidden since 2008 were also detected, ie. endosulfan in blackcurrants and strawberries, fenitrothion in black and red currants as well as procymidone in raspberries, blackcurrants and strawberries. These data are consistent to those obtained from the whole of Poland and the European Union (EU). CONCLUSIONS Most pesticides were present in raspberries, redcurrants, gooseberries and grapes of which fungicides were the most frequently detected. These results are in keeping with other similar studies.
Time-resolved X-ray diffraction studies on vertebrate striated muscle.

The purpose of the studies reviewed here has been to help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in muscular contraction. The structural basis of the contractile mechanism can be studied at various levels, and a good deal is now known about the overall behavior of the arrays of actin and myosin filaments of which muscles are composed. However, the underlying molecular changes have proved more difficult to elucidate. The proteins are assembled in a regular manner in their respective filaments and give rise to characteristic and quite informative low angle X-ray diffraction diagrams. In principle, therefore, it should be possible to obtain inform­ ation about the structural changes during contraction by recording the x­ ray diagram at different stages of the process, i.e. by making time-resolved measurements. In practice, because the X-ray reflections from muscle are relatively weak, there have been considerable technical difficulties in making the measurements sufficiently rapidly. Nevertheless, the develop­ ment in recent years of improved types of X-ray detectors and of more intense X-ray sources has enabled considerable progress to be made in this field, and this article reviews the results obtained and the techniques involved. Many features of the sliding-filament moving-crossbridge model have been confirmed and elu9idated, and more detailed aspects of the structural mechanism of contraction are now becoming accessible to experimental study. Because of space limitations, only studies on vertebrate skeletal muscle are described here.
Quantitative detection and assessment of schizophrenia using electrovestibulography

Schizophrenia (SZ) is the most disabling among the psychiatric disorders and associated with multiple abnormalities in brain structure and neurotransmitter systems. The benefits of a validated, quantitative diagnosis tool are well established. Electrovestibulography (EVestG) can detect and record neural activity of vestibular system and associated pathways by a wavelet based method, named Neural Event Extraction Routine, and provide a quantitative indirect measure of activity in brain regions and pathways that are compromised in SZ. We compared EVestG responses of eighteen SZ subjects with twenty one healthy control subjects. A number of biomarkers significantly (p≪0.05) distinguished SZ from normal population. We also found significant correlations between the EVestG responses and positive and negative syndrome rating scale (PANNS) scores and/or disease duration.
Influence of fertilizers and rice cultivation methods on the abundance and diversity of phyllosphere microbiome

Rice paddies are man‐made, cross‐over ecologies of aquatic and terrestrial systems, which favor the proliferation of characteristic microbial communities. Moisture regimes under flooded and different levels of irrigation such as in direct seeded rice (DSR) and system of rice intensification (SRI) lead to modulation in crop physiology, soil nutrient availability, and the soil microbiome. However, the diversity of the rice phyllosphere microbiome is less investigated in terms of the influence of fertilizer application and the method of rice cultivation (conventional‐flooded, DSR and SRI). Scanning electron micrographs revealed the presence of bacteria as aggregates at microsites of the leaves. Phylogenetic analysis of the dominant culturable bacterial isolates using 16S rDNA sequences revealed that they belonged to the genera – Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Pantoea, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Erwinia, and Streptomyces. Fertilizer application brought about a distinct modulation in the communities belonging to phyla such as Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes, and Planctomyces, besides Proteobacteria. The cyanobacterial population was much influenced by the cultivation methods, particularly the SRI. Principal component analysis (PCA), involving the culturable phyllospheric microbial groups and leaf attributes (nutrients and pigments), illustrated the importance of leaf nitrogen and zinc. Also, the communities of the phylum Firmicutes exhibited marked changes in terms of the diversity, not only due to the cultivation method, but also the application of fertilizers. Thus, the cultivation methods and fertilizer application played important roles in modulating both the structural (taxonomical) and functional attributes of the phyllosphere microbiome.
Calnexin inhibits thermal aggregation and neurotoxicity of prion protein

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorder associated with the conversion of the cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrPC) into the infectious scrapie isoform (PrPSc). Deposition of misfolded prion proteins (PrP) on certain regions of brain can result in prion diseases. As a membrane‐bound chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), calnexin ensures the proper folding and quality control of newly synthesized proteins. Using purified components in vitro, calnexin associated with many proteins and suppresses their thermal aggregation effectively. We for the first time analyzed PrP‐calnexin interaction. The immunoprecipitation, confocal microscope and native polyacrylamide‐gel electrophoresis results indicated that calnexin could bind PrP both in vitro and in vivo. The turbidity result showed that calnexin could supress thermal aggregation of PrP. MTT, flow cytometry (FCM) and caspase activity studies demonstrated that calnexin prevent caspase‐3‐mediated cytotoxicity induced by PrP. These results implied that calnexin is potentially beneficial for the resistance of prion diseases. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 343–349, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Muscle function in elite master weightlifters.

PURPOSE To determine whether explosive power and isometric strength of the lower-limb muscles in elite master Olympic weightlifters declines at a similar rate to nontrained healthy controls with increasing age. METHODS 54 elite level masters weightlifters (aged 40-87), who were competitors at the World Masters Weightlifting Championships (1999), were compared with a similar number of aged-matched, healthy untrained individuals. Isometric knee extensor strength and lower-limb explosive power were tested. Extent of antagonist co-contraction during isometric knee extension was determined by EMG and power loading characteristics by using a variable inertial system. Muscle volume was estimated using anthropometry. RESULTS On average, the weightlifters were able to generate 32% more peak power (P < 0.05) in the lower limbs and 32% more isometric knee extensor force (P < 0.05) than the control subjects. No significant differences in lower-leg volume were observed between the two groups. Peak power declined at a similar rate with increasing age in the weightlifters and controls (1.2 and 1.3% of a 45-yr-old's value per year), as did strength, but at a lower rate (0.6 and 0.5% per year). The inertial load at which the weightlifters achieved their maximal peak power output was greater (P < 0.05) than the controls. The torque generated at this optimal inertia was also greater in the weightlifters (P < 0.05), whereas the time taken for the weightlifters to reach their maximal peak power was on average 13% shorter (P < 0.05). No differences in antagonist co-contraction during isometric knee extension were observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Muscle power and isometric strength decline at a similar rate with increasing age in elite master weightlifters and healthy controls. In spite of inertial load optimization, muscle power declined in both groups at approximately twice the rate of isometric strength. Although similar rates of decline were observed, the absolute differences between the weightlifters and controls were such that an 85-yr-old weightlifter was as powerful as a 65-yr-old control subject. This would therefore represent an apparent age advantage of approximately 20 yr for the weightlifters.
JPET # 122762 2 Running title page Running title : Adenosine and bowel inflammation

Luca Antonioli, Matteo Fornai, Rocchina Colucci, Narcisa Ghisu, Federico Da Settimo, Gianfranco Natale, Olga Kastsiuchenka, Emiliano Duranti, Agostino Virdis, Cristina Vassalle, Concettina La Motta, Laura Mugnaini, Maria Cristina Breschi, Corrado Blandizzi, Mario Del Tacca Interdepartmental Centre for Research in Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Pisa (L.A., M.F., R.C., N.G., M.C.B, C.B., M.D.T.); Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pisa (F.D.S., C.L.M., L.M.); Department of Human Morphology and Applied Biology, University of Pisa (G.N., O.K.); Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa (C.V.); Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa (E.D., A.V.), Pisa, Italy JPET Fast Forward. Published on May 8, 2007 as DOI:10.1124/jpet.107. 122762
The dates of publication of certain numbers of the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of British Columbia

It SL'e ms desirah le to esuh li sh the datL"s (if publication of th e va rious numhers of th e " Proceedings of thL" EIlt(imolog ical Socic t~ · of British Columbia." In scve ra l cases, th e numbers WL" re not published (: I'e n within th e r ea r c ited on th L" ce>l"t: rs or titl e pages. Th c da ta g ivcn in th e following article a re ta ken chi e fl\" from records and lette rs of tra nsmitta l In th e possL'ssion () f th e Soc il" ty·.
Bandwidth Enhancement of Meshed Patch Antennas Through Proximity Coupling

This letter presents an impedance bandwidth enhancement method for optically transparent meshed patch antennas using a coplanar proximity feed. The antenna design is potentially compatible with solar panel integration. The proposed antenna consists of three meshed patch elements with slightly different sizes, resulting in an improved impedance bandwidth that is approximately 2.5 times as wide as that of a single-element meshed patch antenna.
Pulmonary hemorrhage in neonates of early and late gestation

Abstract Our objectives in this study of pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) were to define common characteristics of infants who develop PH, identify factors associated with PH and report the outcome. Neonates (42/2980 admissions) with PH and matched controls were identified. Early gestation ≤35 weeks) infants with PH [EGPH] (n = 34; 12 survived) had occurrence of PH at 3.6 ± 1.1 (mean ± sem) days and were significantly associated with multiple births (p = 0.03), RDS (p < 0.01) and use of Survanta (p < 0.02). Among EGPH, small for gestational age (SGA) infants (n = 7) had a 100% mortality rate. Late gestation (≥ 36 weeks) infants with PH [LGPH] (n = 8; 6 survived) had occurrence of PH at 0.7 ± 0.3 days and were significantly associated with low 1 minute (p = 0.04) and 5 minutes (p = 0.01) Apgar scores. All infants were managed with increases in mean airway pressure (MAP) and/or use of cocaine/epinephrine through the endotracheal tube. We have identified 2 groups of neonates with distinct factors associated with PH; use of 1:10,000 epinephrine (0.1 ml/kg) and/or 4% cocaine (4 mg/kg) may be useful adjuncts to increases in MAP for management of PH.
Transmission dynamics of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in a bird tick community.

We examined the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato circulation in a tick community consisting of three species (Ixodes ricinus, I. frontalis, I. arboricola) with contrasting ecologies, but sharing two European songbird hosts (Parus major and Cyanistes caeruleus). Parus major had the highest infestation rates, primarily due to larger numbers of I. ricinus, and probably because of their greater low-level foraging. The prevalence of Borrelia in feeding ticks did not significantly differ between the two bird species; however, P. major in particular hosted large numbers of Borrelia-infected I. frontalis and I. ricinus larvae, suggesting that the species facilitates Borrelia transmission. The low but significant numbers of Borrelia in questing I. arboricola ticks also provides the first field data to suggest that it is competent in maintaining Borrelia. Aside from Borrelia garinii, a high number of less dominant genospecies was observed, including several mammalian genospecies and the first record of Borrelia turdi for North-Western Europe. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato IGS genotypes were shared between I. arboricola and I. ricinus and between I. frontalis and I. ricinus, but not between I. arboricola and I. frontalis. This suggests that the Borrelia spp. transmission cycles can be maintained by bird-specific ticks, and bridged by I. ricinus to other hosts outside bird-tick cycles.
Organization of the nervous system in the pygmy cuttlefish, Idiosepius paradoxus ortmann (Idiosepiidae, cephalopoda)

The idiosepiid cuttlefish is a suitable organism for behavioral, genetic, and developmental studies. As morphological bases for these studies, organization of the nervous system was examined in Idiosepius paradoxus Ortmann, 1881, using Cajal's silver technique and immunohistochemical staining with anti‐acetylated α‐tubulin antibody. The nervous architecture is generally identical to that described in Sepia and Loligo, but some features characterize the idiosepiid nervous system. The olfactory system is highly developed in the optic tract region. The dorsolateral lobes show large neuropils, connected with each other by a novel well‐fasciculated commissure. Each olfactory lobe is subdivided into two lobules. The neuropils of the anterior and the posterior chromatophore lobes are very poorly developed. Neuronal gigantism is not extensive in the brain; enlarged neuronal cells are visible only in the perikaryal layer of the posterior subesophageal mass. The giant nerve fiber system is of the Sepia type; the axons are not markedly thick and the first‐order giant fibers do not fuse with each other at the chiasma. Three‐dimensional images by whole‐mount immunostaining clarified the innervation pattern in the peripheral nervous system in detail. Two commissural fibers link the left and right posterior funnel nerves ventrally and dorsally. The stellate commissure, which is absent in Sepia and Sepiola, connects the stellate ganglia with each other. A branch of the visceral nerve innervating the median pallial adductor muscle is characteristically thick. Tubulinergic reactivity of the cilia and axons reveals the presence of many ciliated cells giving off an axon toward brain nerves in the surface of the funnel, head integument, arm tips, and epidermal lines. Some of these features seem to reflect the inactive nekto‐benthic life of the idiosepiid cuttlefish in the eelgrass bed. J. Morphol. 254:65–80, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Heparin improves BMSC cell therapy: Anticoagulant treatment by heparin improves the safety and therapeutic effect of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell cytotherapy

Systemic infusion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) has become a promising strategy for disease treatment and tissue regeneration. Strategies to enhance the efficiency of BMSC cell therapy are crucial to promote its clinical application. Here, we aimed to improve BMSC cell therapy by inhibiting the BMSC-induced coagulation reaction. Intravenous injection of gradient BMSCs into mice showed that BMSCs were not fully compatible with blood. Large doses of BMSCs induced a series of symptoms of respiratory failure and heart failure. Histological and homeostasis analysis confirmed that large doses of BMSCs induced disseminated intravascular thrombosis, exhaustion of platelets and coagulation factors, and prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Similar to mouse BMSCs, goat and human BMSCs also induced coagulation reactions in vitro and in vivo. The coagulation was induced mostly by tissue factor, the overexpression of which enhanced the procoagulant activity of BMSCs during in vitro culture. Notably, clinical doses of BMSCs in cell therapy also induced mild and reversible coagulation, which increased BMSC lung embolism and clearance. Anticoagulation treatment by heparin (400 U/kg) prevented BMSC-induced coagulation and the acute adverse effects of large-dose BMSCs infusion efficiently. Importantly, heparin treatment led to decreased BMSC lung embolism and enhanced migration and maintenance of BMSCs to target organs in cell therapy. Based on an experimental colitis model, we confirmed that heparin treatment enhanced the effect of BMSC therapy efficiently to reduce mortality, prevent weight loss, suppress inflammation reaction and alleviate tissue injury. In conclusion, BMSCs possess procoagulant activity that could induce disseminated coagulation and thrombosis in recipients. Anticoagulation treatment by heparin is a practical strategy to improve both the safety and therapeutic effect of BMSC therapy.
Light-sensing phytochromes feel the heat

Plant phytochrome activity is governed not just by light, but also by prevailing temperature Plants expect light and warmth during the day and darkness and coolness at night. But dim, overcast days and unusually warm nights also occur. How is the perception of this variability integrated into more regular daily cycles? Phytochromes constitute a major class of plant photoreceptors that respond to brightness and color ratio. In so doing, they coordinate growth and development. Phytochromes are therefore a vital surveillance system that enables plants to adapt to a changing environment. Two reports in this issue, by Legris et al. (1) on page 897 and Jung et al. (2) on page 886, now implicate phytochrome B (phyB) in the thermal regulation of the light-sensing pathways.