Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical and Spectroelectrochemical Evidence of Redox Transitions Involving Protons in Thin MnO2 Electrodes in Protic Ionic Liquids

Protic ionic liquids composed of 2-methoxypyridinium and trifluoroacetate were used in their neat, undiluted form as an electrolyte to study the charge storage properties of MnO2. Potentiostatic and potentiodynamic methods were used to prepare MnO2 thin films on indium tin oxide substrates. The film morphology had an effect on the specific capacitance, with the potentiostatic deposition providing the most suitable structure to increase specific capacitance in the ionic liquid. The deposition time and number of cycles were varied to find optimal electrode preparation conditions in protic ionic liquid. A linear dependency of the specific capacitance on the amount of MnO2 deposited was observed for thin films up to ca. 4 μg·cm–2, which corresponds to a 70 nm thick film. The maximum specific capacitance of these thin films was 397 F·g–1 at 5 mV·s–1 and similar to the values obtained in a Na2SO4 aqueous solution. The pseudocapacitive behavior of MnO2 thin films in protic ionic liquid was investigated further b.
Sampling Constraints and Variability in the Analysis of Bacterial Community Structures in the Sea Surface Microlayer

The sea surface microlayer (SML) is a thin surface film located at the interface between oceans and the atmosphere. In this study, three SML samplers—polycarbonate membrane (PC), glass plate (GP), and drum sampler (DS)—were used to collect microbiological DNA samples for molecular analysis. Among the three samplers, DS only took half the time to sample the SML compared to GP while PC were able to sample the thinnest SML depth. Biological matter and distinct bacterial communities in the SML were apparent during low wind conditions in samples collected by three samplers. Signs of biological matter [transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and chlorophyll-a concentrations] depletion, and an increased similarity in the biological communities of the SML and underlying water (UW), were more pronounced during high wind speed conditions in samples collected by GP and DS. GP samples had lower biological matter enrichment than DS samples compared with UW. The depletion of biological matter in GP samples were more apparent during periods of high chl-a concentrations in the SML. In contrast, PC was able to consistently sample an SML community distinct from that of the UW, regardless of wind conditions. Bacterial community DNA samples obtained by the three SML samplers showed relatively consistent patterns of community structure, despite large fluctuations between seasons (summer vs. winter) and layers (SML vs. UW) being observed. Although no SML-specific taxon was detected in this study, a comparison of the representation of taxonomic groups in each sample suggested that certain taxa (15 orders) were specifically enriched or depleted in the SML, especially taxa belonging to Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Deferribacteria, and Proteobacteria. This trend was consistent regardless of sampling method, implying that these bacterial groups are key taxa in the biogeochemical processes occurring at the air-sea interface.
Interactions and Feedbacks in E-Cadherin Transcriptional Regulation

Epithelial tissues rely on the adhesion between participating cells to retain their integrity. The transmembrane protein E-cadherin is the major protein that mediates homophilic adhesion between neighbouring cells and is, therefore, one of the critical components for epithelial integrity. E-cadherin downregulation has been described extensively as a prerequisite for epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and is a hallmark in many types of cancer. Due to this clinical importance, research has been mostly focused on understanding the mechanisms leading to transcriptional repression of this adhesion molecule. However, in recent years it has become apparent that re-expression of E-cadherin is a major step in the progression of many cancers during metastasis. Here, we review the currently known molecular mechanisms of E-cadherin transcriptional activation and inhibition and highlight complex interactions between individual mechanisms. We then propose an additional mechanism, whereby the competition between adhesion complexes and heterochromatin protein-1 for binding to STAT92E fine-tunes the levels of E-cadherin expression in Drosophila but also regulates other genes promoting epithelial robustness. We base our hypothesis on both existing literature and our experimental evidence and suggest that such feedback between the cell surface and the nucleus presents a powerful paradigm for epithelial resilience.
Early Prediction of Mortality, Severity, and Length of Stay in the Intensive Care Unit of Sepsis Patients Based on Sepsis 3.0 by Machine Learning Models

Background: Early prediction of the clinical outcome of patients with sepsis is of great significance and can guide treatment and reduce the mortality of patients. However, it is clinically difficult for clinicians. Methods: A total of 2,224 patients with sepsis were involved over a 3-year period (2016–2018) in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. With all the key medical data from the first 6 h in the ICU, three machine learning models, logistic regression, random forest, and XGBoost, were used to predict mortality, severity (sepsis/septic shock), and length of ICU stay (LOS) (>6 days, ≤ 6 days). Missing data imputation and oversampling were completed on the dataset before introduction into the models. Results: Compared to the mortality and LOS predictions, the severity prediction achieved the best classification results, based on the area under the operating receiver characteristics (AUC), with the random forest classifier (sensitivity = 0.65, specificity = 0.73, F1 score = 0.72, AUC = 0.79). The random forest model also showed the best overall performance (mortality prediction: sensitivity = 0.50, specificity = 0.84, F1 score = 0.66, AUC = 0.74; LOS prediction: sensitivity = 0.79, specificity = 0.66, F1 score = 0.69, AUC = 0.76) among the three models. The predictive ability of the SOFA score itself was inferior to that of the above three models. Conclusions: Using the random forest classifier in the first 6 h of ICU admission can provide a comprehensive early warning of sepsis, which will contribute to the formulation and management of clinical decisions and the allocation and management of resources.
Salvage Therapy With Low-Dose Ruxolitinib Leads to a Significant Improvement in Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome in Patients With cGVHD After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is a life-threatening pulmonary manifestation of chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), without clear standard of care. This study included 30 patients undergoing an allogeneic HSCT for a hematological malignancy and the outcomes with post-HSCT BOS treated with ruxolitinib as a salvage treatment were reviewed. After a median duration of ruxolitinib therapy of 9.25 (1.5–27) months, the best overall response (BOR) rate was 66.7%: three patients (10.0%) achieved complete remission, and 17 (56.7%) achieved partial remission. The median time from initiation of ruxolitinib to achieve the best responses was 3 months. Since initiating ruxolitinib, forced expiratory volume in 1 s of predicted (FEV1%pred) slightly increased after 3 and 6 months compared with measurements before ruxolitinib in responders. Only FEV1%pred mild decline before ruxolitinib with a ratio ≤15% was an independent predictor to achieve a response to ruxolitinib. Eleven patients (36.7%) had severe pulmonary infection of ≥3 grade. Following a median follow-up of 318 days after ruxolitinib, the 2-years incidence of nonrelapse mortality and 2-years overall survival rate after ruxolitinib among patients with BOS was 25.1 and 62.6%, respectively. Ruxolitinib is a promising treatment option to improve the prognosis of post-HSCT BOS.
Identification of Electroencephalogram Signals in Alzheimer's Disease by Multifractal and Multiscale Entropy Analysis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that primarily develops in old age. In recent years, it has been reported that early diagnosis of AD and early intervention significantly delays disease progression. Hence, early diagnosis and intervention are emphasized. As a diagnostic index for AD patients, evaluating the complexity of the dependence of the electroencephalography (EEG) signal on the temporal scale of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is effective. Multiscale entropy analysis and multifractal analysis have been performed individually, and their usefulness as diagnostic indicators has been confirmed, but the complemental relationship between these analyses, which may enhance diagnostic accuracy, has not been investigated. We hypothesize that combining multiscale entropy and fractal analyses may add another dimension to understanding the alteration of EEG dynamics in AD. In this study, we performed both multiscale entropy and multifractal analyses on EEGs from AD patients and healthy subjects. We found that the classification accuracy was improved using both techniques. These findings suggest that the use of multiscale entropy analysis and multifractal analysis may lead to the development of AD diagnostic tools.
Prognostic Value of Peripheral Whole Blood Cell Counts Derived Indexes in Gallbladder Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a rare gastrointestinal malignancy with poor prognosis. Adequate pre-treatment prediction of survival is essential for risk stratification and patient selection for aggressive surgery or adjuvant therapeutic strategy. Whole blood cell count (WBCC) derived indexes are broadly used as prognosticative biomarkers in various cancer types, but their utility in GBC needs to be validated. Methods An extensive literature review was conducted in line with PRISMA guideline until June 31 2020, to identify original studies concerning WBCC-derived indexes as prognostic indicators in GBC. All relative parameters were extracted and pooled for statistical analyses. Results Fourteen studies incorporating 2,324 patients were included with a high quality and low risk of biases. All 14 studies evaluated the prognostic value of NLR showing a significant correlation with OS in GBC patients (HR = 1.94, P <0.001). Elevated NLR was revealed to correlate with TNM stage (stages III and IV, OR = 4.65, P <0.001), tumor differentiation (OR = 2.37, P <0.042), CA 19-9 (SMD = 0.47, P = 0.01), but no significance was found with age, sex and CEA. Positive indicative value of MLR and PLR were also confirmed with a HR of 2.06 (P <0.001) and 1.34 (P <0.001), respectively. Conclusion The WBCC-derived indexes including NLR, MLR/LMR and PLR were validated to be useful prognostic parameters for predicting survival outcomes in GBC patients. These series of indexes, especially NLR, could improve risk stratification and facilitate better patient selection for surgical resection or aggressive chemotherapy in the decision making of GBC patients.
Identifying the Association Between Older Adults' Characteristics and Their Health-Related Outcomes in a Transition Care Setting: A Retrospective Audit

Introduction: Continued evaluation of Transition Care Programs (TCP) is essential to improving older adults' outcomes and can guide which older adults may benefit from undertaking TCP. The aim of this study was to audit a transition care service to identify the association between the characteristics of older adults undertaking a facility-based TCP and (i) discharge destination and (ii) functional improvement. Materials and methods: An audit (n = 169) of older adults aged 60 years and above who completed a facility-based TCP in Australia was conducted. Outcomes audited were performance of activities of daily living (ADL) measured using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and discharge destination. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and linear mixed modeling. Results: Older adults [mean age 84.2 (±8.3) years] had a median TCP stay of 38 days. Fifty-four older adults (32.0%) were discharged home, 20 (11.8%) were readmitted to hospital and 93 (55%) were admitted to permanent residential aged care. Having no cognitive impairment [OR = 0.41 (95% CI 0.18-0.93)], being independent with ADL at admission [OR = 0.41 (95% CI 0.16-1.00)] and a pre-planned team goal of home discharge [OR = 24.98 (95% CI 5.47-114.15)] was significantly associated with discharge home. Cases discharged home showed greater improvement in functional ability [MBI 21.3 points (95% CI 17.0-25.6)] compared to cases discharged to other destinations [MBI 9.6 points (95% CI 6.5-12.7)]. Conclusion: Auditing a facility-based TCP identified that older adults who were independent in ADL and had good cognitive levels were more likely to be discharged home. Older adults with cognitive impairment also made clinically significant functional improvements.
Sexual Dimorphism in Aggression: Sex-Specific Fighting Strategies Across Species

Aggressive behavior is thought to have evolved as a strategy for gaining access to resources such as territory, food, and potential mates. Across species, secondary sexual characteristics such as competitive aggression and territoriality are considered male-specific behaviors. However, although female–female aggression is often a behavior that is displayed almost exclusively to protect the offspring, multiple examples of female–female competitive aggression have been reported in both invertebrate and vertebrate species. Moreover, cases of intersexual aggression have been observed in a variety of species. Genetically tractable model systems such as mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies have proven extremely valuable for studying the underlying neuronal circuitry and the genetic architecture of aggressive behavior under laboratory conditions. However, most studies lack ethological or ecological perspectives and the behavioral patterns available are limited. The goal of this review is to discuss each of these forms of aggression, male intrasexual aggression, intersexual aggression and female intrasexual aggression in the context of the most common genetic animal models and discuss examples of these behaviors in other species.
Monocyte to High-Density Lipoprotein Ratio Is Associated With Early Neurological Deterioration in Acute Isolated Pontine Infarction

Objectives: The monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) has been considered to be a novel inflammatory marker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, its role in the acute phase of acute isolated pontine infarctions remains elusive. We explored whether an association existed between elevated MHR levels and early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with isolated pontine infarction. Methods: Data from 212 patients with acute isolated pontine infarction were retrospectively analyzed. We examined the MHR in quartiles of increasing levels to evaluate for possible threshold effects. END was defined as an elevation in the total National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥2 or an increase in NIHSS score ≥1 in motor power within the first week after symptom onset. Patients were divided into an END group and a non-END group. The association of MHR on END following pontine infarction was examined by logistic regression models after adjusting for age, NIHSS at admission, basilar artery stenosis, history of hypertension or hyperlipidemia or stroke, infarct size, fasting blood glucose, and paramedian pontine infarction. Results: The mean MHR was 0.44 ± 0.22. A total of 58 (27.36%) patients were diagnosed with END. END occurred within the first 48 h after hospitalization in 38 patients (65.52%). After adjusting for confounding and risk factors, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed NIHSS at admission [odds ratio (OR), 1.228; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.036–1.456], basilar artery stenosis (OR, 2.843; 95% CI, 1.205–6.727), and fasting blood glucose (OR, 1.296; 95% CI, 1.004–1.672) were independently associated with END. The odds ratio of END increased as the quartile level of MHR increased, with the lowest quartile used as the reference value. Compared to the first quartile of MHR, the third and fourth quartiles were associated with 4.847-fold (95% CI, 1.532–15.336) and 5.824-fold (95% CI, 1.845–18.385) higher odds of END in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Elevated MHR levels may be valuable as a biomarker of END in patients with isolated pontine infarction. The elevated MHR was independently associated with END in isolated pontine infarction.
Epigenetic Reprogramming of CD4+ Helper T Cells as a Strategy to Improve Anticancer Immunotherapy

Evidences highlight the role of various CD4+ helper T cells (CD4+ Th) subpopulations in orchestrating the immune responses against cancers. Epigenetics takes an important part in the regulation of CD4+ Th polarization and plasticity. In this review, we described the epigenetic factors that govern CD4+ T cells differentiation and recruitment in the tumor microenvironment and their subsequent involvement in the antitumor immunity. Finally, we discussed how to manipulate tumor reactive CD4+ Th responses by epigenetic drugs to improve anticancer immunotherapy.
Experimental Study on the Transition Characteristics and Criterion From Wall-Peak to Core-Peak Phase Distribution in Vertical Rod Bundles

Aiming at understanding the phase distribution characteristics and developing the transition criterion from wall-peak to core-peak phase distribution in a rod bundle channel, air–water two-phase flow experiments were conducted in 5 × 5 rod bundles in the Interfacial Evolution Research Facility at Chongqing University (IERFC). Based on the experimental data, the influences of gas velocity, liquid velocity, mixing vane spacer grid (MVSG), and geometrical size on phase distribution have been analyzed in detail. With the increasing superficial gas velocity and decreasing liquid velocity, the wall-peak phase distribution turned to core-peak. The wall-peak phase distribution was enhanced by an MVSG, and the transition from the transitional phase distribution to the wall-peak phase distribution appeared when the air–water mixture flowed through the MVSG. The gap size was the key factor for the transition of phase distribution in rod bundles. Moreover, the transition criterion from wall-peak to core-peak phase distribution was developed based on present experimental data and the data in the literature, which was also verified based on the limited data. More experiments were recommended to focus on the detailed phase distribution in the rod bundle channel with different geometrical sizes.
Changes in the Nitrogenous Compounds during Fermentation of Hilsa Steaks

Lona ilish, a traditional salt fermented fish product, made exclusively from hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), is widely consumed in Bangladesh and adjoining Northeastern parts of India. No detailed scientific studies have been made on lona ilish. To understand the science behind this traditional preservation process, the product was prepared in the laboratory following traditional method, and biochemical changes during fermentation period of 150 days, were studied. At fortnightly intervals, important parameters such as the protein and protein degradation as well as lipid and its degradation in the product were studied. Increase in non-protein nitrogen (NPN), free alpha amino nitrogen (FAN) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) contents during fermentation indicated hydrolysis of protein. However, the decrease in protein nitrogen content was not significant. A value of NPN/TN of 18% in the fish muscle was found indicative of the fermentation point. High salt content (15.48%), intermediate moisture content (49.89%) and low pH (5.28) of the final product were found to be satisfactory for stability of the lona ilish at ambient temperature.
Manganese-cobalt hexacyanoferrate cathodes for sodium-ion batteries

Prussian Blue analogues (PBAs) have shown promise as electrode materials for grid-scale batteries because of their high cycle life and rapid kinetics in aqueous-based electrolytes. However, these materials suffer from relatively low specific capacity, which may limit their practical applications. Here, we investigate strategies to improve the specific capacity of these materials while maintaining their cycling stability and elucidate mechanisms that enhance their electrochemical properties. In particular, we have studied the electrochemical and structural properties of manganese hexacyanoferrate (MnHCFe) and cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCFe) in an aqueous, sodium-ion electrolyte. We also studied manganese–cobalt hexacyanoferrate (Mn–CoHCFe) solid solutions with different Mn/Co ratios that combine properties of both MnHCFe and CoHCFe. The materials have the characteristic open-framework crystal structure of PBAs, and their specific capacities can be significantly improved by electrochemically cycling (oxidizing and reducing) both the carbon-coordinated Fe and the nitrogen-coordinated Co or Mn ions. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies and ex situ soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with an in-depth electrochemical characterization provide insight into the different electrochemical properties associated with the Fe, Co, and Mn redox couples. We show that cycling the C-coordinated Fe preserves the crystal structure and enables the outstanding kinetics and cycle life previously displayed by PBAs in aqueous electrolytes. On the other hand, the N-coordinated Co and Mn ions exhibit a slower kinetic regime due to structural distortions resulting from the weak N-coordinated crystal field, but they still contribute significantly towards increasing the specific capacity of the materials. These results provide the understanding needed to drive future development of PBAs for grid-scale applications that require extremely high cycle life and kinetics.
Estimating Social Preferences Using Stated Satisfaction: Novel Support for Inequity Aversion

IZA DP No. 14347 APRIL 2021 Estimating Social Preferences Using Stated Satisfaction: Novel Support for Inequity Aversion In this paper, we use stated satisfaction to estimate social preferences: subjects report their satisfaction with payment-profiles that hold their own payment constant while varying another subject’s payment. This approach yields significant support for the inequity aversion model of Fehr and Schmidt (1999). This model is among the most renowned in behavioral economics, positing a generalized aversion to inequality that is stronger when one’s own payoff is lower–rather than higher–than others’; i.e., “envy” is stronger than “guilt. ” While aggregate-level estimates based on revealed preferences in laboratory games have supported the model, the assumption that guilt is stronger than envy is often violated at the individual level. This paradox may be due to limitations of the revealedpreference approach. An advantage of avoiding games is that eliciting stated satisfaction is relatively easy to implement and is less prone to being confounded with motives like reciprocity; also the absence of tradeoffs between own and others’ payoffs is cognitively less demanding for subjects. Our unstructured approach does not limit the expression of social preferences to inequity aversion, yet our methodology yields significant support for it. At the individual level, 86% of subjects exhibit at least as strong envy as guilt, and 76% (65%) of subjects weakly (strongly) adhere to the model. Our individual-level estimates are robust to changing the value of one’s own constant payment and to changing the range of the other subject’s payments. Methodologically, eliciting satisfaction can be an easy-toimplement complement to choice-based preference-measures in contexts other than social preferences that are of interest to economists. JEL Classification: C91, D31, D63, I31