Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying protein oligomerization in living cells: A systematic comparison of fluorescent proteins

Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy has become a popular toolbox for non-disruptive studies of molecular interactions and dynamics in living cells. The quantification of e.g. protein oligomerization and absolute concentrations in the native cellular environment is highly relevant for a detailed understanding of complex signaling pathways and biochemical reaction networks. A parameter of particular relevance in this context is the molecular brightness, which serves as a direct measure of oligomerization and can be easily extracted from temporal or spatial fluorescence fluctuations. However, fluorescent proteins (FPs) typically used in such studies suffer from complex photophysical transitions and limited maturation, potentially inducing non-fluorescent states, which strongly affect molecular brightness measurements. Although these processes have been occasionally reported, a comprehensive study addressing this issue is missing. Here, we investigate the suitability of commonly used FPs (i.e. mEGFP, mEYFP and mCherry), as well as novel red FPs (i.e. mCherry2, mRuby3, mCardinal, mScarlet and mScarlet-I) for the quantification of oligomerization based on the molecular brightness, as obtained by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and Number&Brightness (N&B) measurements in living cells. For all FPs, we measured a lower than expected brightness of FP homo-dimers, allowing us to estimate, for each fluorescent label, the probability of fluorescence emission in a simple two-state model. By analyzing higher FP homo-oligomers and the Influenza A virus Hemagglutinin (HA) protein, we show that the oligomeric state of protein complexes can only be accurately quantified if this probability is taken into account. Further, we provide strong evidence that mCherry2, an mCherry variant, possesses a superior apparent fluorescence probability, presumably due to its fast maturation. We finally conclude that this property leads to an improved quantification in fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy measurements and propose to use mEGFP and mCherry2 as the novel standard pair for studying biomolecular hetero-interactions.
Seasonal Variability of Lightning Activity in Yakutia in 2009–2019

The instrumental continuous monitoring of lightning activity in Yakutia has been carried by the lightning direction finder since the 2000s. Devices for detection of sferic (very low frequency radio pulses emitted by lightning discharges) in Yakutia were supplemented in 2009 with relatively short-range (effective detection radius up to 480 km) single-point Stormtracker and LD-250 direction finders from Boltek Corporation (Welland, ON, Canada). The Stormtracker gives a slightly overestimated ratio of CG strokes due to the amplitude threshold of a single-point direction finder, but the device has not changed over the years, which allows for the consideration of the annual dynamics of parameters. In 2009, a sensor in Yakutsk was included in the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The seasonal and diurnal variations of the total lightning stroke number in the central part and the entire area of Yakutia were obtained (up to 1200 km in radius and limited by latitude–longitude boundaries of 105–150° E, 55–75° N). The longest thunderstorm seasons are often observed in the southern part of Yakutia. There was a slight increase in the duration of the thunderstorm season until 2015 in the central part of Yakutia. The interannual variations in the total number of lightning strokes showed periodic fluctuations (with a period of about three years) over the whole area of Yakutia. The periods of high lightning activity shifted within a season from year to year, as revealed by the monthly stroke number variation. Thus, the maximum lightning rate occurred at the beginning of summer, in the middle or at the beginning of August, and had a period of about three years. Every summer, there were 2–3 periods of high lightning activity, resulting from the moving average with a two-week window (according to the longest duration of cyclones). If the periods of high lightning activity shifted toward the beginning of summer, a decrease in the number of days between seasonal peaks was observed. If the maximum shifted to the beginning of August, the number of days between peaks increased. The ratio of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning strokes and the ratio of negative CG strokes was slightly decreasing by 2015 in the central part of Yakutia.
Strain engineering in monolayer WS2 and WS2 nanocomposites

There has been a massive growth in the study of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) over the past decade, based upon their interesting and unusual electronic, optical and mechanical properties, such as tuneable and strain-dependent bandgaps. Tungsten disulphide (WS2), as a typical example of TMDs, has considerable potential in applications such as strain engineered devices and the next generation multifunctional polymer nanocomposites. However, controlling the strain, or more practically, monitoring the strain in WS2 and the associated micromechanics have not been so well studied. Both photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy have been proved to be effective but PL cannot be employed to characterise multilayer TMDs while it is difficult for Raman spectroscopy to reveal the band structure. In this present study, PL and Raman spectroscopy have been combined to monitor the strain distribution and stress transfer of monolayer WS2 on a flexible polymer substrate and in polymer nanocomposites. It is demonstrated that WS2 still follows continuum mechanics on the microscale and that strain generates a non-uniform bandgap distribution even in a single WS2 flake through a simple strain engineering. It is shown that these flakes could be useful in optoelectronic applications as they become micron-sized PL emitters with a band gap that can be tuned by the application of external strain to the substrate. The analysis of strain distributions using Raman spectroscopy is further extended to thin-film few-layer WS2 polymer nanocomposites where it is demonstrated that the stress can be transferred effectively to WS2 flakes. The relationship between the mechanical behaviour of single monolayer WS2 flakes and that of few-layer flakes in bulk composites is investigated.
Development of a patient safety round guideline for nurse managers: Action research study in Indonesia

Cil: Ucelem teto studie bylo vyvinout směrnice pro bezpecnost pacientů během obchůzek vedoucich sester ve snaze posilit kulturu pece poskytovane v nemocnici. Metody: Tato studie využiva metodu akcniho výzkumu, ktereho se zucastnilo 20 vedoucich sester a vedoucich osetřovatelských týmů. Kromě toho byl sběr dat proveden pomoci kvalitativniho přistupu, prostřednictvim skupinových diskusi (Focus Group Discussions) a pozorovani, a kvantitativnim hodnocenim požadovaných dotazniků. Ziskana data byla vyhodnocena pomoci obsahove analýzy a jednoduche statistiky. Výsledky: Výsledek studie ukazal, že směrnice pro bezpecnost pacientů mohly během obchůzek na nemocnicnich lůžkových oddělenich použivat vedouci zdravotni sestry. Kromě toho měly vedouci sestry a vedouci osetřovatelských týmů lepsi znalosti o (1) implementaci bezpecnostnich obchůzek a (2) dovednostech použitelných na lůžkových oddělenich. Zavěr: Vedoucim osetřovatelske divize se doporucuje, aby vytvořili zasady, ktere vyžaduji, aby vedouci sestry provozovaly bezpecnostni obchůzky pomoci specifických směrnic pro každe lůžkove odděleni. Tato praxe by měla být provaděna pravidelně, aby se zajistilo, že vsechny cinnosti personalu jsou v souladu s bezpecnosti pacientů.
Lone mothers’ experiences of poverty in Finland - a capability approach

ABSTRACT The poverty of lone mothers in Finland was examined using three qualitative data sets and by implementing a capability approach (CA). The most valuable function for lone mothers, as they saw it, along with surviving monetary poverty was raising their children as good citizens. When mothers succeeded in raising ‘good citizens’, they felt they lived in a socially valued way and had achieved something that was significant in the eyes of others. The article explores the task (in CA terms functioning) of raising a good citizen by examining five capabilities that emerged from the mother’s narratives. These were: 1) social security’s role in enabling capabilities, 2) neighbourly activity as a collective capability, 3) time-autonomy and monetary independence as contrasting capabilities and 4) the capability to go beyond difficulties. The act of raising a good citizen enabled capabilities for younger generations. This was inter-generational in nature: parents did their best to invest in their children so that they would have more opportunities than the previous generation had.
How do marine bacteria respond to nutrient limitation? : a lipidomics approach

Microbes inhabiting surface waters of the Earth’s oceans are exquisitely adapted to their nutrient-poor environment. Marine phytoplankton, for example, are able to reduce their requirements for phosphorus by replacing membrane phospholipids with alternative non-phosphorus lipids. Heterotrophic bacteria, which can also thrive when phosphorus is scarce, had not, however, been shown to carry out this process – seemingly placing these organisms at a competitive disadvantage. In this thesis, I show that substitution of membrane phospholipids for a variety of non-phosphorus lipids is a conserved response to phosphorus deficiency amongst phylogenetically diverse marine heterotrophic bacteria. By deletion mutagenesis and complementation in the model marine bacterium Phaeobacter sp. MED193 and heterologous expression in recombinant Escherichia coli, I confirmed the roles of a phospholipase C (PlcP) and a glycosyltransferase in lipid remodelling. Analyses of two large collections of marine metagenomes, the Global Ocean Sampling (GOS) and Tara datasets, demonstrate that PlcP is particularly abundant in areas characterised by low phosphate concentrations. To better understand the lipids that potentially replace phospholipids during this remodeling process, I investigated a number of poorly-characterised aminolipids that are prevalent in the globally important marine Roseobacter group. I was able to identify two genes involved in the synthesis of one of these lipids, a glutamine lipid. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis of one of these genes revealed that the capacity to synthesise glutamine lipid appears to be virtually ubiquitous within the Roseobacter group. A further class of aminolipids was present in many Roseobacter strains, which I identified as a novel class of homotaurine-containing lipids using high-resolution, accurate mass spectrometry. These homotaurine lipids were detected in a battery of Roseobacter strains, enabling me to employ a comparative genomics approach to identify genes potentially involved in their biosynthesis. Surprisingly, neither of these aminolipids appeared to play an important role in the response to phosphorus limitation in the Roseobacter strains tested. Together, these results point to a key role for lipid substitution as an adaptive strategy enabling heterotrophic bacteria to thrive in vast, phosphorus-depleted areas of the ocean. Although phosphorus-free lipids play a crucial role in this process of adaptation, my work emphasises that many of these lipids are not simply substitutes for phospholipids but rather appear to have important roles in the cell in their own right.
Preparation of astaxanthin-loaded liposomes: characterization, storage stability and antioxidant activity

ABSTRACT Astaxanthin-loaded liposomes were prepared by employing a thin-film ultrasound method with the utilization of soy phosphatidylcholine. The preparation conditions of astaxanthin-loaded liposomes were optimized through response surface methodology. Under the optimum preparation conditions, the observed experimental results showed the vesicle size of astaxanthin-LL was 80.62 ± 4.52 nm with the polydispersity index of 0.20 ± 0.03, while the zeta potential was −31.80 ± 1.85 mV with the highest encapsulation efficiency of 97.68 ± 0.34%. The successful encapsulation of astaxanthin in liposomes was demonstrated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Retention rate of 82.29% was obtained after 15 days of storage at 4°C in the stability study, which confirmed that the liposome membrane could retain astaxanthin effectively, especially at low storage temperature. Encapsulation could enhance significantly the antioxidant activity of astaxanthin. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of astaxanthin after encapsulation in liposomes was correlated with the incorporation efficiency of astaxanthin.
In-vitro Evaluation of Different Fungicides and Bioagents against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici

Fusarium wilt of tomato incited by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici is one of the biotic threats in profitable cultivation of tomato crop worldwide. Utilization of biocontrol agents along with fungicides is best suited for integrated disease management. The fungicides evaluated in vitro against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici were effective and reduced the mycelial growth significantly. Among that Carbendazim 50% WP, Copper oxychloride 50% WP and Carbendazim 25% + Mancozeb 50 % WS were found most effective with maximum growth inhibition (100%), (65.22%) and (100%) respectivly. Antagonist tested against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici in vitro significantly reduced the growth of test pathogen. Among that Trichoderma harzianum inhibited (52.33%) and Trichoderma virens (49.41%) found to be most effective with highest mycelial growth. K e y w o r d s
Effect of Islamic corporate governance on customer trust: empirical study on Islamic bank

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the effect of Islamic corporate governance and shariah compliance on customer trust in Islamic bank. Methodology: The research method used is a quantitative method with random sampling technique. The data analysis technique used is descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression techniques to test the hypothesis. Findings: The results of the study show that (1) out of the five principles of GCG (transparency, accountability, responsibility, independency and fairness) only transparency has a positive effect on customer trust as indicated by a significance value of 0.047. (2) shariah compliance has a positive effect on customer trust, besides that shariah compliance is a very large indicator contributing to increase customer trust, indicated by a significance value of 0,000. Originality: As far as we are concerned, only a few publications examined the effect of Islamic corporate governance and shariah compliance on customer trust in Islamic bank.
Bank Protection Structures along the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River, a Study of Flow Slides

The planform of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River followed its natural path in Bangladesh until the construction of bank protection works started to save Sirajganj from bank erosion since the 1930s. Several so-called hardpoints such as groynes and revetments were constructed in the period 1980–2015 and the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge was opened in 1998. The Brahmaputra Right Embankment and other projects had saved the western flood plain from inundation during monsoon floods. These river training works experienced severe damage by geotechnical failures, mostly flow slides. A flow slide is an underwater slope failure because of liquefaction or a breaching process in the subsoil or a combination of both. The design of most of these training works did not consider the risk of damage by flow slides. All descriptions of the observed damages show that scour phenomena in the channel close to a river training work are a cause of flow slides, besides pore water outflow. The research question was: how can the design of river training works be improved to reduce the risk of damage by flow slides? The main part of the investigation was focussed on reducing local scour holes near river training works. The most promising results are river training works with gentle bank slopes, permeable groynes, bed protections in dredged trenches with gentle side slopes, and methods to increase locally the bearing capacity of the subsoil. It is recommended to increase the knowledge of the failure mechanisms in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River by improved monitoring in the field, the setup of a database with descriptions of all observed flow slides and the circumstances in which they occur. In addition to these recommendations, a field test facility is proposed to verify the knowledge of the failure mechanisms in that river. These activities will optimise the design of new river training structures with a very low risk of damages by flow slides and geotechnical instabilities and they will contribute to an improvement of the current design guidelines for river training structures.
Summer PM2.5 Pollution Extremes Caused by Wildfires Over the Western United States During 2017–2018

Using observations and model simulations (ESM4.1) during 1988–2018, we show large year‐to‐year variability in western U.S. PM2.5 pollution caused by regional and distant fires. Widespread wildfires, combined with stagnation, caused summer PM2.5 pollution in 2017 and 2018 to exceed 2 standard deviations over long‐term averages. ESM4.1 with a fire emission inventory constrained by satellite‐derived fire radiative energy and aerosol optical depth captures the observed surface PM2.5 means and extremes above the 35 μg/m3 U.S. air quality standard. However, aerosol emissions from the widely used Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) must be increased by 5 times for ESM4.1 to match observations. On days when observed PM2.5 reached 35–175 μg/m3, wildfire emissions can explain 90% of total PM2.5, with smoke transported from Canada contributing 25–50% in northern states, according to model sensitivity simulations. Fire emission uncertainties pose challenges to accurately assessing the impacts of fire smoke on air quality, radiation, and climate.
Positive tree diversity effect on fine root biomass: via density dependence rather than spatial root partitioning

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Positive tree diversity effect on fine root biomass: via density dependence rather than spatial root partitioning Weixian Zeng, Wenhua Xiang, Bo Zhou, Shuai Ouyang, Yelin Zeng, Liang Chen, Gregoire Freschet, Oscar Valverde-barrantes, Alexandru Milcu
Composition and Diversity of Woody Plants in Tree Plantations Versus Secondary Forests in Costa Rican Lowlands

Efforts to sequester carbon through tree plantations and natural regeneration in the tropics may also provide an opportunity to restore native forest ecosystems. However, the degree to which species composition of native species differs between tree plantations and secondary forests is unknown. In this study, we conducted surveys of woody plants (≥2 cm dbh) in 20 secondary forest and tree plantation plots (30 × 30 m) in a tropical lowland forest landscape. Sites were 8 to 21 years old and were either abandoned cattle pastures (secondary forests) or monoculture tree plantations (Hieronyma alchorneoides and Vochysia guatemalensis) planted for carbon sequestration. We compared species composition, ecological traits, and diversity of woody plants in secondary forests and tree plantations, while accounting for distance from primary forest. Species composition, but not species richness, of the natural regeneration was significantly different in tree plantations and secondary forests. The abundances of understory species, short-lived pioneers, and bat-dispersed species were all higher in secondary forests than in tree plantations. Abundances of canopy species, long-lived pioneers, shade-tolerant species, and dispersal categories besides bats were not associated with forest type. We conclude that tree plantations can alter species composition of regeneration compared with secondary forests perhaps by altering composition of seed disperser assemblages or inhibiting early successional species.
Mitogenomics of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) reveals dramatic loss of diversity and supports historical gene-flow between Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean populations

The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most threatened marine mammals, with only 600–700 individuals restricted to three populations off the coast of Western Sahara and Madeira (North Atlantic) and between Greece and Turkey (eastern Mediterranean). Its original range was from the Black Sea (eastern Mediterranean) to Gambia (western African coast), but was drastically reduced by commercial hunting and human persecution since the early stages of marine exploitation. We here analyse 42 mitogenomes of Mediterranean monk seals, from across their present and historical geographic ranges to assess the species population dynamics over time. Our data show a decrease in genetic diversity in the last 200 years. Extant individuals presented an almost four-fold reduction in genetic diversity when compared to historical specimens. We also detect, for the first time, a clear segregation between the two North Atlantic populations, Madeira and Cabo Blanco, regardless of their geographical proximity. Moreover, we show the presence of historical gene-flow between the two water basins, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and the presence of at least one extinct maternal lineage in the Mediterranean. Our work demonstrates the advantages of using full mitogenomes in phylogeographic and conservation genomic studies of threatened species.
Do U.S. Faith-Based Social Service Organizations Resist Collaboration? Examining the Role of Religiosity and Operational Capacity in Interorganizational Partnerships

Although nonprofit collaboration is commonplace, recent research suggests that faith-based organizations (FBOs) are less likely to collaborate than other nonprofits. This study builds on prior FBO, collaboration, and nonprofit capacity research to examine the influence of religiosity and operational capacity on FBOs’ within- and cross-sector partnerships. Findings from a survey with 197 FBOs across the United States reveal a complex picture of how religiosity and operational capacity influence FBO collaboration. More specifically, staff religiosity was positively related to cross-sector partnerships. Service religiosity (i.e., religious elements in staff–client interactions) was negatively associated with collaboration with government agencies. Results also indicated that FBOs with higher operational capacity had more partners in the nonprofit, business, and public sectors. These findings suggest that FBOs generally lack the operational capacity for collaboration and that service religiosity creates additional barriers to it. This article concludes with implications for research in FBOs, interorganizational collaboration, and nonprofit capacity.