Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A noninflammatory mRNA vaccine for treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Precision therapy for immune tolerance Autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), result from a breach of immunological self-tolerance and tissue damage by autoreactive T lymphocytes. Current treatments can cause systemic immune suppression and side effects such as increased risk of infections. Krienke et al. designed a messenger RNA vaccine strategy that lacks adjuvant activity and delivers MS autoantigens into lymphoid dendritic cells. This approach expands a distinct type of antigen-specific effector regulatory T cell that suppresses autoreactivity against targeted autoantigens and promotes bystander suppression of autoreactive T cells against other myelin-specific autoantigens. In mouse models of MS, the vaccine delayed the onset and reduced the severity of established disease without showing overt symptoms of general immune suppression. Science, this issue p. 145 Antigen-specific tolerance is induced in multiple sclerosis by an mRNA vaccine strategy. The ability to control autoreactive T cells without inducing systemic immune suppression is the major goal for treatment of autoimmune diseases. The key challenge is the safe and efficient delivery of pharmaceutically well-defined antigens in a noninflammatory context. Here, we show that systemic delivery of nanoparticle-formulated 1 methylpseudouridine-modified messenger RNA (m1Ψ mRNA) coding for disease-related autoantigens results in antigen presentation on splenic CD11c+ antigen-presenting cells in the absence of costimulatory signals. In several mouse models of multiple sclerosis, the disease is suppressed by treatment with such m1Ψ mRNA. The treatment effect is associated with a reduction of effector T cells and the development of regulatory T cell (Treg cell) populations. Notably, these Treg cells execute strong bystander immunosuppression and thus improve disease induced by cognate and noncognate autoantigens.
The nature, structure, and composition of adsorbed hydrocarbon products of ambient temperature oligomerization of ethylene on acidic zeolite H-ZSM-5

The nature, structure, and composition of hydrocarbon products that form under oligomerization of ethylene on acidic zeolite H-ZSM-5 at room temperature (296 K) have been analyzed using a combination ofin situIR and13C NMR andex situ13C NMR and GC-MS. It is shown that oligomers strongly retained by the zeolite framework represent a mixture of hydrocarbons which composition ranges from C5to ca C14+carbon atoms. Adsorbed oligomers are bound to the oxygens of the zeolite framework to form alkoxy species. Alkoxy species represent main adsorption state of the oligomers, but they are in equilibrium with olefins and carbenium ions of the same composition, the concentration of both carbenium ions and olefins seems to be beyond the sensitivity of both NMR and IR. The reactivity of the adsorbed oligomers is defined by the reactivity of equilibrated carbenium ions which can easily interact with carbon monoxide and water to give a mixture of corresponding carboxylic acids. Oligomeric alkoxides with linear hydrocarbon fragments prevail in the mixture of the formed oligomers. The average length of the linear oligomer chain includes approximately seven carbon atoms. Prevalence of the linear hydrocarbon fragments over branched ones in adsorbed oligomers seems to be defined by both specific framework and dimensions of the channels of the zeolite H-ZSM-5.
Optimization of the experimental parameters of cesium CPT system

Based on a Λ-type three-level system consists of cesium (Cs) 6S1/2 (Fg = 3) and 6S1/2 (Fg = 4) long-lived ground states and 6P3/2 (Fe = 4) excited state, we have experimentally measured and theoretically analyzed the characters of coherent population trapping (CPT) resonances in Cs vapor cells with different partial pressure of neon (Ne) as buffer gas around room temperature. The impact of some experimental parameters, such as the relative intensity ratio between two phase-locked laser beams, the laser intensity, with or without buffer gas and the partial pressure of Ne, the temperature and the longitudinal magnetic field, on the CPT resonance was studied in details. With the optimized parameters, we got typical CPT signal with the full-width half-maximum (FWHM) linewidth as narrow as ~ 181 Hz in a Cs vapor cell filled with 30 Torr of Ne as buffer gas.
COVID-19 testing: One size does not fit all

To control the pandemic, testing should be considered a public health tool Tests for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were developed within days of the release of the virus genome (1). Multiple countries have been successful at controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission by investing in large-scale testing capacity (2). Most testing has focused on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays, which are capable of detecting minute amounts of viral RNA. Although powerful, these molecular tools cannot be scaled to meet demands for more extensive public health testing. To combat COVID-19, the “one-size-fits-all” approach that has dominated and confused decision-making with regard to testing and the evaluation of tests is unsuitable: Diagnostics, screening, and surveillance serve different purposes, demand distinct strategies, and require separate approval mechanisms. By supporting the innovation, approval, manufacturing, and distribution of simpler and cheaper screening and surveillance tools, it will be possible to more effectively limit the spread of COVID-19 and respond to future pandemics.
Intertidal benthic communities of two Chilean coastal islands (Santa María and Mocha, Southeastern Pacific)

Six macrotidal beaches located on two Chilean coastal islands (Santa María and Mocha, SE Pacific Ocean) were investigated in spring 2001 (29 October–3 November) to verify the role of the food supply (in terms of quantity and biochemical composition of the organic matter) on the abundance and diversity of the macro- and meiobenthic communities inhabiting the beaches. Samples of sediment were collected from the intertidal zone of the three beaches of each island investigated. The total organic matter content of the sediment did not differ between the islands, whereas the phytopigment and protein contents were significantly higher on Mocha (2.3±0.9 and 75±21 μ g g−1, mean values of the three beaches±SE, respectively) than on Santa María (0.5±0.2 and 50±16 μ g g−1, mean values of the three beaches±SE). The macro- and meiofaunal assemblages displayed the highest abundances on Mocha (821±223 and 561±194 ind. 10 cm−2, respectively). The abundance of both assemblages was correlated with the quality of the food supply, and significant correlations were observed with the phytopigment content (Spearman-rank R=0.645 p<0.01 and R=0.934 p<0.001 for the macro- and meiofauna, respectively). The results of the present study suggest that food availability may play a key role in structuring benthic communities of the oceanic beaches of Chilean coastal islands. A single observation is not enough to fully understand the real mechanisms that shape the beach communities, however, the snapshot image we collected during this study suggests that the role of food availability in shaping benthic beach communities may be as important as that played by the hydrodynamic conditions.
Physico-chemical treatment of anaerobic landfill leachate using activated carbon and zeolite: batch and column studies

Leachate generated from one of the old landfills in Malaysia contains high concentrations of colour, COD, iron and ammoniacal. The ability of activated carbon-zeolite mixtures as an adsorbent was investigated in this research. Results of the batch experiments indicated that more than 522.2 mg/g of colour, 52.63 mg/g of iron, 232.6 mg/g of COD and 21.01 mg/g of ammoniacal nitrogen were removed by a mixture of activated carbon and zeolite. Results of the column studies indicated that more than 70% of colour and ammoniacal nitrogen, 80% of COD and 90% of iron were removed on the first five days.
New Prototype Concepts in Classification Learning

Machine learning algorithms are becoming more and more important in everyday life. Applications in search engines, driver assistance systems, consumer electronics, and so on use them heavily and would not be as powerful without them. Neural Networks (NNs), for example, are state-of-the-art classification approaches and dominate the field. However, they are difficult to interpret and not fully understood. For instance, the existence of adversarial examples that are imperceptible to humans contradicts the general belief that convolutional NNs classify objects in images mainly by breaking them down into increasingly complex object shapes. In this thesis, we study prototype-based classification algorithms with the goal of improving the classification capabilities of such algorithms while simultaneously preserving robustness and interpretability properties. Moreover, we investigate how properties of prototypebased classification algorithms can be transferred to NNs in order to increase their interpretability. First, we derive the concept of set-prototypes and apply it in a Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) framework—a well-understood classification algorithm. We examine the mathematical properties and show that the derived method is provably robust against adversarial attacks. Furthermore, the method consistently outperforms other LVQ approaches while still being interpretable. Second, we relax the class-specific prototype concept to that of components and apply it in LVQand NN-based classifiers. This framework provides promising interpretation techniques for NNs. For example, we use them to explain how an adversarial attack is fooling an NN. We evaluate the methods on both toy and real-world datasets, including Indian Pine, MNIST, CIFAR-10, GTSRB, and ImageNet.
Energy-efficient trajectory planning for a multi-UAV-assisted mobile edge computing system

We study a mobile edge computing system assisted by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), where the UAVs act as edge servers to provide computing services for Internet of Things devices. Our goal is to minimize the energy consumption of this system by planning the trajectories of UAVs. This problem is difficult to address because when planning the trajectories, we need to consider not only the order of stop points (SPs), but also their deployment (including the number and locations) and the association between UAVs and SPs. To tackle this problem, we present an energy-efficient trajectory planning algorithm (TPA) which comprises three phases. In the first phase, a differential evolution algorithm with a variable population size is adopted to update the number and locations of SPs at the same time. In the second phase, the k-means clustering algorithm is employed to group the given SPs into a set of clusters, where the number of clusters is equal to that of UAVs and each cluster contains all SPs visited by the same UAV. In the third phase, to quickly generate the trajectories of UAVs, we propose a low-complexity greedy method to construct the order of SPs in each cluster. Compared with other algorithms, the effectiveness of TPA is verified on a set of instances at different scales.
Reliability and Performance Improvement of PUC Converter Using a New Single-Carrier Sensor-Less PWM Method With Pseudo Reference Functions

A new single-carrier sensor-less pulsewidth modulation (PWM) method using suggested pseudo reference functions is proposed for packed U-cell (PUC) converter to improve performance and reliability of the PUC converter. It is composed of one PWM carrier signal and two suggested pseudo reference functions. By employing the proposed modulation method, the PUC dc capacitor voltage ripple is substantially decreased, and faster sensor-less capacitor voltage balancing is obtained. Moreover, the power losses are evenly distributed among all power switches. Consequently, notable reduction of the PUC dc capacitor voltage ripple and even distribution of the power loss among switches enhance the PUC converter's reliability and lifetime. In addition, odd multiples of the switching harmonic clusters are eliminated from the output voltage; thus, the values of output passive filter components are halved. Hence, applying the proposed single-carrier sensor-less PWM method remarkably improves the performance, power density, reliability, and lifetime of the PUC converter and notably simplifies implementation of the switching pattern. Provided experimental results and comparisons as well as reliability analysis verify the viability and effectiveness of the proposed PWM method.
Heavy metal contamination of soil, and bioaccumulation in vegetables irrigated with treated waste water in the tropical city of Varanasi, India

The present study was conducted to determine the heavy metal contamination in soil with accumulation in plants in waste water irrigated areas. Results revealed that waste water contained lower concentrations of Cr, Zn, Cu, and Pb except Cd (0.03) than the permissible limits prescribed by the World Health Organization. The maximum metal concentrations occurred in Brassica oleracea (Zn 63.80, Cu 12.25, Cr 10.65, Pb 3.63, and Cd 0.56 mg Kg−1). The metal enrichment (EF of Cd 1.9, Cr2.9, Zn 4.8, Cu 6.5, and Pb 15.5) and degree of contamination (CF of Cd 2.9, Cr 2.0, Zn 2.3, Cu 2.7, and Pb 2.2) showed that accumulation of the five toxic metals increased during sewage irrigation as compared with the reference values, other Indian regions and globally. However, based on WHO standards for heavy metal contamination of soil and irrigation water, our data does not ensure safe levels for food.
THE ABSORPTION OF OXYGEN FROM LIQUID CULTURES OF BLUE-GREEN ALGAE BY ALKALINE PYROGALLOL

SUMMARY A mixture of pyrogallol with sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate (2:1:1) in a separate container absorbed up to 75% of the oxygen in a bicarbonate-carbonate buffered medium with more or less no change in the pH of the medium. A system in which two test tubes were added to the culture vessel, one containing saturated sodium bicarbonate and the other pyrogallol plus sodium hydroxide gave similar results, but were not investigated further because of difficulties in handling. Optimal conditions for absorption of oxygen from 100 ml of the growth medium was 1 mMole pyrogallol +0,5 mMole sodium hydroxide + 0,5 mMole sodium carbonate. The addition of this pyrogallol to alkali ratio to cultures of two Microcystis and one Synechococcus isolate in rubber stoppered flasks gave stoichiometric increases in yield which was not due to carbonate enrichment but to a lowering of oxygen tension. The data may mean that even under relatively low light intensities (1 - 4 × 103 ergs cm−2 sec−1) photooxidation occurs.
The preparation and crystallographic properties of certain lanthanide and actinide tribromides and tribromide hexahydrates

Controlled vacuum thermal dehydration of lanthanide, actinide, and yttrium tribromide hexahydrates, MBr3,6H2O (M = Y, Pr, Nd, Gd—Lu incl., and U—Am incl.), gives the anhydrous tribromides. The tribromides of yttrium and of gadolinium to lutetium inclusive possess the rhombohedral ferric chloride type of structure, space group R(2C3i). The tribromide hexahydrates possess monoclinic symmetry, space group P2/n. Unit cell dimensions are reported for both series of compounds and metal–bromine bond lengths have been calculated for the tribromides with the assumption of a perfect octahedral arrangement. The positions of the metal–bromine stretching vibrations are reported for selected compounds. The results are discussed in relation to possible structural changes in the series of actinide trihalides, MX3(X = Cl, Br, or I).
Phase coexistence in the charge ordering transition in CaMn7O12

The structural phase transition in CaMn7O12 has been investigated by using high-resolution synchrotron and neutron powder diffraction. Both measurements show a phase coexistence phenomenon: between 409 and 448 K two different crystallographic phases coexist in the material. The first one is trigonal and it has a charge ordering (CO) of the Mn3+ and Mn4+ ions, while the second one is cubic and charge delocalized (CD). The volume fraction of the CD phase increases with temperature from zero at 400 K up to 100% about 460 K. Both phases have domains of at least 150 nm at each temperature in the PS region. A percolation scenario assuming a growth of the volume of the highly conducting CD regions at the expense of the volume of the insulating CO matrix is discussed and it is found to be in agreement with literature data of the CaMn7O12 resistivity.
Controle da maturação de caqui 'Fuyu' com aplicação de aminoetoxivinilglicina e 1-metilciclopropeno

The storage of persimmons is an important tool to maintain the quality and to extend the fruit offer after harvest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of preharvest application of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) application before or after storage on the ripening control of persimmons cv. Fuyu during storage in controlled atmosphere (CA) at -0.5 oC during 4 months. The treatments were: [1] control; [2] AVG (123 g ha-1) application and CA storage; [3] AVG application and 1-MCP (1.0 µL L-1) application after CA storage; [4] 1-MCP application before CA storage; [5] AVG application and 1-MCP application before CA storage; [6] 1-MCP application after CA storage. According to the results, the 1-MCP maintained higher fruit firmness after storage and during six days at 20 oC. Highest firmness was obtained after six days at 20 oC with application of 1-MCP after storage. The preharvest application of AVG is not efficient in maturation control of 'Fuyu' persimmons stored during four months in controlled atmosphere.
Structural Properties of Corn-Legume Based Extrudates as a Function of Processing Conditions and Raw Material Characteristics

The effect of extrusion conditions, including feed rate (2.52–6.84 kg/h), feed moisture content (13–19% wet basis), screw speed (150–250 rpm), and extrusion temperature (150–230°C) on structural properties of corn-legume based extrudates was studied. Four different types of legumes, chickpea, mexican bean, white bean, and lentil were used to form mixtures with corn flour in a ratio ranging from 10 to 90% (corn/legume). A simple power model was used to correlate porosity with extrusion conditions and material characteristics. The influence of feed rate in the extrudates porosity is incorporated into mean residence time. Porosity of extrudates was found to increase with temperature and residence time and to decrease with feed moisture content and corn to legume ratio. Screw speed did not affect extrudates properties. Expansion ratio showed a similar behavior with porosity. The addition of legumes (protein source) led to more dense products. Comparatively, the usage of white bean in mixtures for the production of snacks, led to a product with higher porosity than those with other legumes.
Resolution and Novel Reactions of 4‐Hydroxy[2.2]paracyclophane

The resolution of racemic 4-hydroxy[2.2]paracyclophane (1) by fractional crystallization of the diastereomeric esters 3 with (1S)-(−)-camphanic acid and the determination of the absolute configurations of (R)- and (S)-4-hydroxy[2.2]paracyclophanes by X-ray diffraction have been carried out. The Friedel−Crafts oxaloylation of 1 with AlCl3 was found to occur with formation of both ortho- and para-hydroxy[2.2]paracyclophanylglyoxylic acids, whereas in the presence of TiCl4, quantitative formation of 2,3-dioxo-2,3-dihydrofurano[4,5-d][2.2]paracyclophane (8) as a product of an unusual cooperative C- and O-acylation was observed. Replacement of the OH group in the substrate for OCH3 (compound 18) changes the regioselectivity of the oxaloylation, which now occurs with formation of a para-substituted α-diketone 19. A novel technique for the synthesis of 4-formyl-5-hydroxy[2.2]paracyclophane (FHPC, 15) involving stereoselective reduction of 8 followed by oxidative cleavage of the intermediate diol 14 is also presented.
Letter. Optical absorption spectra of ferropericlase to 84 GPa

Abstract Optical and near infrared absorption spectra of ferropericlase Mg0.88Fe0. 12O have been measured to 84 GPa. Under ambient conditions, the spectrum shows two crystal field bands of high-spin Fe2+ at 8922 and 12 533 cm-1, which shift to higher frequencies with increasing pressure (dν/dP = 50.7 and 85.5 cm-1/GPa). Simultaneously, the intensity of the high-frequency band continuously decreases until it vanishes around 40 GPa, suggesting a quenching of the Jahn-Teller effect. Between 51 and 60 GPa, the absorption spectrum changes drastically. Two new bands appear at 60 GPa at 9728 and 14 592 cm-1 with frequency shifts at higher pressures of dν/dP = 23.8 and 21.0 cm-1/GPa, respectively. If the change in optical spectra between 51 and 60 GPa were interpreted as being due to spin-pairing, the crystal field parameters of low-spin Fe2+ at 60 GPa would be Δ = 10 546 cm-1 and B = 377 cm-1. This would imply that the main cause of spin-pairing is not the increase in crystal field splitting Δ, but the stronger covalency of the Fe-O bond as seen in the reduction of the Racah parameter B. Even at 84 GPa, ferropericlase is by no means opaque. In particular, the inferred spin-pairing transition between 51 and 60 GPa reduces radiative thermal conductivity only by about 15%. Spin-pairing in ferropericlase is therefore unlikely to have major consequences for the temperature distribution or the mode of convection in the lower mantle. The absorption edge of the high-pressure phase appears to be deeper in the UV than for the low-pressure phase, which could imply a reduced electrical (polaron) conductivity
Simulation of shear stress in two-dimensional decagonal quasicrystals

To analyse the plasticity of quasicrystals a numerical simulation method has been developed by which shear stress is applied to a two-dimensional atomic configuration of Lennard-Jones particles. The method is based on a microconvergence relaxation procedure. We present results of simulations on a simple binary tiling which is obtained by decoration of the Tubingen triangle tiling. Slip through dislocations is observed. In contrast with periodic crystals the motion of dislocations through a quasicrystal does not leave the configuration undisturbed but creates a wall of phasons.
Synthesis of well-defined poly(alkyl methacrylate)-graft-polylactone by sequential living polymerization

A novel combination of living polymerization reactions has been proposed for the controlled synthesis of poly(alkyl methacrylate)-graft-polylactones. This strategy relies upon the sequential living polymerization of alkyl methacrylates and aliphatic lactones, with an intermediate chemical transformation for shifting from the first mechanism to the second one. In the first step, an alkyl methacrylate (methyl and butyl) is copolymerized with 2-trimethylsiloxyethyl methacrylate (TMSEMA). This living anionic polymerization is initiated with diphenylhexyllithium( DPHLi) in the presence of a μ-ligand, lithium chloride, in THF at -78°C. The trimethylsiloxy groups are then hydrolyzed with release of hydroxyl groups which are reacted with triethylaluminum in order to form a multifunctional macroinitiator of the Al alkoxide type. The second step consists of the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of aliphatic lactones (e-caprolactone, δ-valerolactone and 1,4,8-trioxaspiro[4.6]-9-undecanone (TOSUO)) with the formation of novel graft copolymers. As a result of the livingness of both the anionic and the ROP polymerization steps, the molecular weight of both the main backbone and the grafts is predictable, the apparent polydispersity is narrow (M w /M n from 1.05 to 1.30) and the grafting density can be controlled being dependent on the distribution of the hydroxyl groups within the precursor backbone.