Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent advances in the mechanics of 2D materials

The exceptional physical properties and unique layered structure of two-dimensional (2D) materials have made this class of materials great candidates for applications in electronics, energy conversion/storage devices, nanocomposites, and multifunctional coatings, among others. At the center of this application space, mechanical properties play a vital role in materials design, manufacturing, integration and performance. The emergence of 2D materials has also sparked broad scientific inquiry, with new understanding of mechanical interactions between 2D structures and interfaces being of great interest to the community. Building on the dramatic expansion of recent research activities, here we review significant advances in the understanding of the elastic properties, in-plane failures, fatigue performance, interfacial shear/friction, and adhesion behavior of 2D materials. In this article, special emphasis is placed on some new 2D materials, novel characterization techniques and computational methods, as well as insights into deformation and failure mechanisms. A deep understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that govern 2D material mechanics is further provided, in the hopes that the community may draw design strategies for structural and interfacial engineering of 2D material systems. We end this review article with a discussion of our perspective on the state of the field and outlook on areas for future research directions.
Genetic Ablation and Pharmacological Blockade of Bradykinin B1 Receptor Unveiled a Detrimental Role for the Kinin System in Chagas Disease Cardiomyopathy

Chagas disease, the parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, afflicts about 6 million people in Latin America. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that T. cruzi may fuel heart parasitism by activating B1R, a G protein-coupled (brady) kinin receptor whose expression is upregulated in inflamed tissues. Studies in WT and B1R−/− mice showed that T. cruzi DNA levels (15 days post infection—dpi) were sharply reduced in the transgenic heart. FACS analysis revealed that frequencies of proinflammatory neutrophils and monocytes were diminished in B1R−/− hearts whereas CK-MB activity (60 dpi) was exclusively detected in B1R+/+ sera. Since chronic myocarditis and heart fibrosis (90 dpi) were markedly attenuated in the transgenic mice, we sought to determine whether a pharmacological blockade of the des-Arg9-bradykinin (DABK)/B1R pathway might alleviate chagasic cardiomyopathy. Using C57BL/6 mice acutely infected by a myotropic T. cruzi strain (Colombian), we found that daily treatment (15–60 dpi) with R-954 (B1R antagonist) reduced heart parasitism and blunted cardiac injury. Extending R-954 treatment to the chronic phase (120–160 dpi), we verified that B1R targeting (i) decreased mortality indexes, (ii) mitigated chronic myocarditis, and (iii) ameliorated heart conduction disturbances. Collectively, our study suggests that a pharmacological blockade of the proinflammatory KKS/DABK/B1R pathway is cardioprotective in acute and chronic Chagas disease.
Characteristics of the 1979–2020 Antarctic firn layer simulated with IMAU-FDM v1.2A

Abstract. Firn simulations are essential for understanding Antarctic ice sheet mass change, as they enable us to convert satellite altimetry observed volume changes to mass changes and column thickness to ice thickness and to quantify the meltwater buffering capacity of firn. Here, we present and evaluate a simulation of the contemporary Antarctic firn layer using the updated semi-empirical IMAU Firn Densification Model (IMAU-FDM) for the period 1979–2020. We have improved previous fresh-snow density and firn compaction parameterizations and used updated atmospheric forcing. In addition, the model has been calibrated and evaluated using 112 firn core density observations across the ice sheet. We found that 62 % of the seasonal and 67 % of the decadal surface height variability are due to variations in firn air content rather than firn mass. Comparison of simulated surface elevation change with a previously published multi-mission altimetry product for the period 2003–2015 shows that performance of the updated model has improved, notably in Dronning Maud Land and Wilkes Land. However, a substantial trend difference (>10 cm yr−1) remains in the Antarctic Peninsula and Ellsworth Land, mainly caused by uncertainties in the spin-up forcing. By estimating previous climatic conditions from ice core data, these trend differences can be reduced by 38 %.
Isolation of Fungi from Mangrove Ecosystem of Mumbai and Evaluation of their Antibacterial Potential

In the current study, fungi from the mangrove ecosystem of Mumbai were isolated and their metabolites were screened for antibacterial potential. Two weeks old broth and mycelium were extracted using chloroform and methanol. Antibacterial property of solvent extracts was evaluated at various concentrations (2 – 10 µg/ml) against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli, by well diffusion method. Fungi isolated were identified as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma harzianum, Cylindrocladium scoparium and Colletotrichum wuxiense. Results revealed that broth solvent extracts of isolates inhibited the growth of all gram-positive test bacteria, chloroform broth extract of Cylindrocladium scoparium, Colletotrichum wuxiense and ethanolic broth extract of Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma harzianum exhibited antibacterial potential against gram negative test organisms. Chloroform and ethanol mycelium extracts of Trichoderma harzianum and Aspergillus flavus, respectively, exhibited 100% growth inhibition potential against all test organisms. The current investigation endorses the potent secondary metabolism of the identified isolates and their potential to synthesise antibacterial compounds.
Optimization of Process Parameters for Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polyamide 6 Composites Fabricated by Self-Resistance Electric Heating Technology

As an energy-saving and efficient composites-forming technology, the properties of carbon fiber self-resistance electric (SRE) heating technology still need to be improved, which is not conducive to the popularization and application of this technology. To deal with this problem, the SRE heating technology was combined with a compression molding process to form carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 (CF/PA 6) composite laminates in this study. Orthogonal experiments of three factors (temperature, pressure, and impregnation time) were designed to study the effect of process parameters on the impregnation quality and mechanical properties of CF/PA 6 composite laminates and to obtain the optimized set of process parameters. Furthermore, the effect of the cooling rate on crystallization behaviors and mechanical properties of laminates was studied according to the optimized settings. The results show that the laminates possess a good comprehensive forming quality under process parameters using a forming temperature of 270 °C, forming pressure of 2.5 MPa, and an impregnation time of 15 min. The ununiform impregnation rate is due to the ununiform temperature field in the cross-section. When the cooling rate decreases from 29.56 °C/min to 2.64 °C/min, the crystallinity of the PA 6 matrix increases from 25.97% to 37.22%; the α-phase of the matrix crystal phase also increases significantly. The effect of the cooling rate on crystallization properties also further affects the impact properties; laminates with a faster cooling rate have stronger impact resistance.
Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (TLSs) and Stromal Blood Vessels Have Significant and Heterogeneous Impact on Recurrence, Lymphovascular and Perineural Invasion amongst Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes

Simple Summary Immunotherapies for breast cancer (BC) are among the most promising treatments for mammary gland malignancies, but their tissue and cellular targets are heterogeneous and controversial. Hence, the effectiveness of immunotherapy varies. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are paid the most attention among these therapies due to the favorable prognostic function they have been shown to play for several malignancies, but this has less investigated for BC because they are not at all connected to some BC molecular subtypes and the stromal vascular network. Moreover, research on the TLS’s impact on lymphovascular, perineural, and BC recurrence is inconsistent. In the current investigation, significant variations between TLS positive and TLS negative subgroups within the same BC molecular subtype were observed and had a significant impact on BC recurrence, lymphovascular invasion, and perineural invasion. By promoting quick blood vessel maturation followed by lowering lymphovascular or perineural invasion, and recurrence, BC-associated TLSs seem to have a local protective role against tumor spread. Abstract Background: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) mediate local antitumor immunity, and interest in them significantly increased since cancer immunotherapy was implemented. We examined TLS− tumor stromal blood vessel interplay for each breast cancer (BC) molecular subtype related to recurrence, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and perineural invasion (PnI). Methods: TLSs were quantified on hematoxylin and eosin stain specimens followed by CD34/smooth muscle actin (SMA) double immunostaining for stromal blood vessel maturation assessment. Statistical analysis linked microscopy to recurrence, LVI, and PnI. Results: TLS negative (TLS−) subgroups in each BC molecular subtype (except to Luminal A) have higher LVI, PnI, and recurrence. A significant rise in LVI and PnI were observed for the HER2+/TLS− subgroup (p < 0.001). The triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)/TLS− subgroup had the highest recurrence and invasion risk which was also significantly related to tumor grade. PnI but not LVI significantly influenced recurrence in the TNBC/TLS+ subgroup (p < 0.001). TLS−stromal blood vessel interrelation was different amongst BC molecular subtypes. Conclusion: BC invasion and recurrence are strongly influenced by TLS presence and stromal blood vessels, especially for HER2 and TNBC BC molecular subtypes.
Commentary on a putative magnetic field variation in the solar convection zone

The implications of a component δoscν, oscillatory with respect to frequency ν ,o f seismic frequency changes observed by Libbrecht and Woodard during the rising phase of solar cycle 22, first mooted by Goldreich, Murray, Willette and Kumar, and its relation to a putative magnetic field, is discussed in relation to more detailed analysis of data in a more limited frequency range obtained over the subsequent cycle. The oscillatory component is associated with helium ionization, and its temporal variation might be explained by a dilution of the effect of the ionization-induced influence on an effective adiabatic exponent of the stellar material by a relatively smooth magnetic field whose intensity increases with surface activity. To account for the magnitude of the variation in cycle 23 would require the field strength to change by some 30 T. Moreover, the change in δoscν in the high-frequency range that was analysed in cycle 23 implies changes at lower frequency that are significantly much greater than those observed by Libbrecht and Woodard in the previous cycle.
Characterization and In Vivo Assay of Allantoin-Enriched Pectin Hydrogel for the Treatment of Skin Wounds

This work describes a liquid allantoin-enriched pectin hydrogel with hydrophilic behavior that is supported by the presence of functional groups related to healing efficacy. A topical study shows the effect of the hydrogel application on surgically induced skin wound healing in a rat model. Contact angle measurements confirm hydrophilic behavior (11.37°), while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicates the presence of functional groups related to the healing effectiveness (carboxylic acid and amine groups). Allantoin is distributed on the surface and inside the amorphous pectin hydrogel surrounded by a heterogeneous distribution of pores. This promotes wound drying with better interaction between the hydrogel and cells involved in the wound healing process. An experimental study with female Wistar rats indicates that the hydrogel improves wound contraction, reducing around 71.43% of the total healing time and reaching total wound closure in 15 days.
A high range resolution algorithm for terahertz FMCW radar imaging

The terahertz frequency modulation continuous wave (THz FMCW) imaging technology has been widely used in nondestructive testing (NDT) applications of non-metallic materials. However, due to the limited bandwidth of FMCW radar, which cannot meet the high-resolution detection requirements. In this paper, a 220–330 GHz FMCW radar and quasi-optical system are proposed. Moreover, a modified extended Fourier analysis algorithm based on continuous wavelet transform is proposed, which improves the radar range resolution from 2.9 mm to 0.8 mm. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed algorithm are verified by artificially constructing composite materials.
The Influence of Intellectual Capital and Good Corporate Governance on Profitability at Conventional Commercial Banks in Indonesia

This research aims to determine the influence of Intellectual Capital (IC) and Good Corporate Governance (GCG) on profitability in conventional commercial banks listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2015-2019. Independent variables in this study are intellectual capital consisting of Value Added Capital Employed (VACA), Value Added Human Capital (VAHU), and Structural Capital Value Added (STVA) and Good Corporate Governance (GCG). While the dependent variable in this study is profitability. This research uses a quantitative approach with the panel's data regression analysis method. The results found in this study are that IC and GCG simultaneously affect proftability, while partially VACA and VAHU have a positive effect on profitability, STVA has no effect on profitability, and GCG negatively affects profitability
Distributed (ATC) Gradient Descent for High Dimension Sparse Regression

We study linear regression from data distributed over a network of agents (with no server node) by means of LASSO estimation, in high-dimension, which allows the ambient dimension to grow faster than the sample size. While there is a vast literature of distributed algorithms applicable to the problem, statistical and computational guarantees of most of them remain unclear in high dimension. This paper provides a first statistical study of the Distributed Gradient Descent (DGD) in the Adapt-Then-Combine (ATC) form. Our theory shows that, under standard notions of restricted strong convexity and smoothness of the loss functions–which hold with high probability for standard data generation models–suitable conditions on the network connectivity and algorithm tuning, DGD-ATC converges globally at a linear rate to an estimate that is within the centralized statistical precision of the model. In the worst-case scenario, the total number of communications to statistical optimality grows logarithmically with the ambient dimension, which improves on the communication complexity of DGD in the Combine-Then-Adapt (CTA) form, scaling linearly with the dimension. This reveals that mixing gradient information among agents, as DGD-ATC does, is critical in high-dimensions to obtain favorable rate scalings.
Photoinduced Dynamics of 13,13′-Diphenylpropyl-β-carotene

Carotenoids are ubiquitous pigment systems in nature which are relevant to a range of processes, such as photosynthesis, but the detailed influence of substitutions at the polyene backbone on their photophysics is still underexplored. Here, we present a detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of the carotenoid 13,13′-diphenylpropyl-β-carotene using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and steady-state absorption experiments in n-hexane and n-hexadecane, complemented by DFT/TDDFT calculations. In spite of their bulkiness and their potential capability to “fold back” onto the polyene system, which could result in π-stacking effects, the phenylpropyl residues have only a minor impact on the photophysical properties compared with the parent compound β-carotene. Ultrafast spectroscopy finds lifetimes of 200–300 fs for the S2 state and 8.3–9.5 ps for the S1 state. Intramolecular vibrational redistribution with time constants in the range 0.6–1.4 ps is observed in terms of a spectral narrowing of the S1 spectrum over time. We also find clear indications of the presence of vibrationally hot molecules in the ground electronic state (S0*). The DFT/TDDFT calculations confirm that the propyl spacer electronically decouples the phenyl and polyene π-systems and that the substituents in the 13 and 13′ positions point away from the polyene system.
Protein Delivery to Insect Epithelial Cells In Vivo: Potential Application to Functional Molecular Analysis of Proteins in Butterfly Wing Development

Protein delivery to cells in vivo has great potential for the functional analysis of proteins in nonmodel organisms. In this study, using the butterfly wing system, we investigated a method of protein delivery to insect epithelial cells that allows for easy access, treatment, and observation in real time in vivo. Topical and systemic applications (called the sandwich and injection methods, respectively) were tested. In both methods, green/orange fluorescent proteins (GFP/OFP) were naturally incorporated into intracellular vesicles and occasionally into the cytosol from the apical surface without any delivery reagent. However, the antibodies were not delivered by the sandwich method at all, and were delivered only into vesicles by the injection method. A membrane-lytic peptide, L17E, appeared to slightly improve the delivery of GFP/OFP and antibodies. A novel peptide reagent, ProteoCarry, successfully promoted the delivery of both GFP/OFP and antibodies into the cytosol via both the sandwich and injection methods. These protein delivery results will provide opportunities for the functional molecular analysis of proteins in butterfly wing development, and may offer a new way to deliver proteins into target cells in vivo in nonmodel organisms.
Interannual variability in effective diffusivity in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere from reanalysis data

The effective diffusivity based on passive tracer advection is used to evaluate the long‐term mixing properties for the period 1980–2012 in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere (UTLS) using data from the ERA‐Interim reanalysis. The regions of strongest interannual variability in effective diffusivity coincide with the regions of strong climatological mixing, such as the winter and spring midlatitude stratosphere, the polar lowermost stratosphere and around the edge of the subtropical jets (especially in summer). The annular modes dominate the variability in the winter polar vortices, and the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation in the tropical stratosphere. El Niño/Southern Oscillation modulates the strength of mixing across the subtropical jets, and has a significant impact on mixing in the summer subtropical lower stratosphere. Long‐term trends show a vertical shift in the mixing consistent with the effect of ozone depletion on the zonal wind in the austral summer polar stratosphere. Other significant trends include increased mixing in the austral surf zone and a dipolar pattern in the boreal summer and autumn, with mixing increased on the equatorward part of the subtropical jet and reduced just above. The results are highly consistent with those from the JRA‐55 reanalysis when the same horizontal resolution is used. The calculations are also qualitatively consistent with effective diffusivity obtained directly from the potential vorticity field and, in the UTLS, they are broadly consistent with those obtained from the ozone field.
Dual Control of a First-Order System with Two Possible Gains

The dual control law for the system y(t + 1) = ay(t) + bu(t) + σe(t + 1) is computed. Here a is supposed to be known. The gain b is unknown but can only take two values, b1 or b2. The Bellman equation is solved numerically. Properties of the dual control law are discussed. By varying a it is studied how probing depends on stability. For small a there is no probing. It is shown that the area of probing is increased as the process becomes more unstable.
Age and Sex Differences in the Association between Serum Vitamin E Levels and Depressive Symptoms: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Studies have reported inconsistent results regarding the relationship between serum vitamin E levels and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the potential modulating role of age and sex has been underexplored. We conduct an age- and sex-stratified investigation of the association between serological vitamin E status and depressive symptoms in a large nationwide sample. Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed (n = 4448). The participants were stratified into four groups according to age (<65 vs. ≥65 years) and sex. Each group was divided into tertiles of vitamin E/total lipid ratio, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores were compared among the tertiles via multivariable linear regression analyses. The relationship between dietary supplement use and the proportions of tertiles was assessed in each group. With the middle tertile as the reference group, the low tertile of vitamin E/total lipid ratio was associated with increased PHQ-9 scores in younger females and older males after adjusting for all covariates, while the high tertile showed no significant associations with PHQ-9 scores in any group. The low tertile was associated with increased adjusted mean PHQ-9 scores by 0.53 and 1.02 compared to the middle tertile in younger females and older males, respectively. Dietary supplement use was related to higher vitamin E/total lipid ratio in all four groups. In conclusion, younger females and older males with a low vitamin E status showed worse depressive symptoms. These individuals may benefit from dietary interventions to prevent depressive symptoms.
Is the In Vitro Observed NETosis the Favored Physiological Death of Neutrophils or Mainly Induced by an Isolation Bias?

Centrifugation steps are regularly used for neutrophil isolation. Thereby, the influences of applied g-forces on the functionality of PMNs have hardly been analyzed and could consequently have been overlooked or led to biased results. We now hypothesize that blood PMNs—when gently isolated—can be long-lived cells and they physiologically become apoptotic rather than NETotic. Neutrophils were isolated from whole blood without centrifugation using a sedimentation enhancer (gelafundin). PMNs were analyzed via live-cell imaging for migratory activity and vitality condition by fluorescent staining. Native neutrophils showed still relevant migratory activity after more than 6 days ex vivo. The percentage of cells that were annexin V+ or PI+ increased successively with increasing ex vivo time. In addition, the characteristics of DAPI staining of gently isolated granulocytes differed markedly from those obtained by density gradient separation (DGS). We conclude that NETosis occurring after DGS is the consequence of applied g-forces and not a physiological phenomenon. Future studies on neutrophils should be performed with most native cells (applied g-time load as low as possible).