Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Honing the Double-Edged Sword: Improving Human iPSC-Microglia Models

Human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (hiPSC) models are a valuable new tool for research into neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is now recognized as a key process in neurodegenerative disease and aging, and microglia are central players in this. A plethora of hiPSC-derived microglial models have been published recently to explore neuroinflammation, ranging from monoculture through to xenotransplantation. However, combining physiological relevance, reproducibility, and scalability into one model is still a challenge. We examine key features of the in vitro microglial environment, especially media composition, extracellular matrix, and co-culture, to identify areas for improvement in current hiPSC-microglia models.
A Novel Model Incorporating Tumor Stiffness, Blood Flow Characteristics, and Ki-67 Expression to Predict Responses After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

Objective To investigate the ability of tumor stiffness, tumor blood flow, and Ki-67 expression alone or in combination in predicting the pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in breast cancer. Patients and Methods This prospective cohort study included 145 breast cancer patients treated with NACT. Tumor stiffness (maximum stiffness (Emax), mean stiffness (Emean)), blood score (BS), and their relative changes, were evaluated before (t0), during (t1–t5), and at the end of NACT (t6) by shear-wave elastography and optical imaging. Ki-67 expression was quantitatively evaluated by immunohistochemistry using core biopsy specimens obtained before NACT. Pathological responses were evaluated by residual cancer burden. The ability of tumor stiffness, BS, Ki-67, and predRCB—which combined ΔEmean (t2) (the relative changes in Emean after the second NACT cycle), BS2 (BS after the second NACT cycle), and Ki-67—in predicting tumor responses was compared using receiver operating characteristic curves and the Z-test. Results Tumor stiffness and BS decreased during NACT. ΔEmean (t2), BS2, and Ki-67 had better predictive performance than other indexes in identifying a favorable response (AUC = 0.82, 0.81, and 0.80) and resistance responses (AUC = 0.85, 0.79, and 0.84), with no significant differences between the three (p > 0.05). PredRCB had better predictive performance than any parameter alone for a favorable response (AUC = 0.90) and resistance (AUC = 0.93). Conclusion Tumor stiffness, BS, and Ki-67 expression showed good and similar abilities for predicting the pathological response to NACT, and predRCB was a significantly better predictor than each index alone. These results may help design therapeutic strategies for breast cancer patients undergoing NACT.
The Role of Exosomal Non-Coding RNAs in Coronary Artery Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis (AS) is a major cause of CVD. Oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and inflammation are key factors involved in the development and progression of AS. Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles secreted into the extracellular space by most types of cells, and are ideal substances for the transmission and integration of signals between cells. Cells can selectively encapsulate biologically active substances, such as lipids, proteins and RNA in exosomes and act through paracrine mechanisms. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are important for communication between cells. They can reach the recipient cells through exosomes, causing phenotypic changes and playing a molecular regulatory role in cell function. Elucidating their molecular mechanisms can help identify therapeutic targets or strategies for CVD. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most important disease in CVD. Here, we review the role and the regulatory mechanism of exosomal ncRNAs in the pathophysiology of CAD, as well as the potential contribution of exosomal ncRNA to diagnosis and treatment of CAD.
ME-Work: Development and Validation of a Modular Meaning in Work Inventory

As research on meaning in work progresses, access to theoretically integrated, differentiated survey instruments becomes crucial. In response to this demand, the present article introduces ME-Work, a modular inventory to measure meaning in work. Derived from research findings on meaning in life, the ME-Work inventory offers three modules that can be used separately or jointly. Module 1 assesses four facets of meaning in work, i.e., coherence, significance, purpose and belonging; module 2 measures the subjective assessment of work as meaningful or meaningless, and module 3 records the extent to which work is perceived as a source of meaning. We report on the development of the instrument and the results of an exploratory factor analysis in a pilot study of 115 working adults. A further study with 278 working adults provided evidence for construct and incremental validity. Relationships with meaning in life, mental health, job satisfaction, socio-moral climate, burnout and work as meaning were investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor structure. Gender-specific analyses of the four facets of meaning’s differential predictive power provided additional insights. Practical implications and further research needs are discussed.
Image Descriptors for Weakly Annotated Histopathological Breast Cancer Data

Introduction: Cancerous Tissue Recognition (CTR) methodologies are continuously integrating advancements at the forefront of machine learning and computer vision, providing a variety of inference schemes for histopathological data. Histopathological data, in most cases, come in the form of high-resolution images, and thus methodologies operating at the patch level are more computationally attractive. Such methodologies capitalize on pixel level annotations (tissue delineations) from expert pathologists, which are then used to derive labels at the patch level. In this work, we envision a digital connected health system that augments the capabilities of the clinicians by providing powerful feature descriptors that may describe malignant regions. Material and Methods: We start with a patch level descriptor, termed Covariance-Kernel Descriptor (CKD), capable of compactly describing tissue architectures associated with carcinomas. To leverage the recognition capability of the CKDs to larger slide regions, we resort to a multiple instance learning framework. In that direction, we derive the Weakly Annotated Image Descriptor (WAID) as the parameters of classifier decision boundaries in a Multiple Instance Learning framework. The WAID is computed on bags of patches corresponding to larger image regions for which binary labels (malignant vs. benign) are provided, thus obviating the necessity for tissue delineations. Results: The CKD was seen to outperform all the considered descriptors, reaching classification accuracy (ACC) of 92.83%. and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98. The CKD captures higher order correlations between features and was shown to achieve superior performance against a large collection of computer vision features on a private breast cancer dataset. The WAID outperform all other descriptors on the Breast Cancer Histopathological database (BreakHis) where correctly classified malignant (CCM) instances reached 91.27 and 92.00% at the patient and image level, respectively, without resorting to a deep learning scheme achieves state-of-the-art performance. Discussion: Our proposed derivation of the CKD and WAID can help medical experts accomplish their work accurately and faster than the current state-of-the-art.
Oral Dysbiosis and Autoimmunity: From Local Periodontal Responses to an Imbalanced Systemic Immunity. A Review

The current paradigm of onset and progression of periodontitis includes oral dysbiosis directed by inflammophilic bacteria, leading to altered resolution of inflammation and lack of regulation of the inflammatory responses. In the construction of explanatory models of the etiopathogenesis of periodontal disease, autoimmune mechanisms were among the first to be explored and historically, for more than five decades, they have been described in an isolated manner as part of the tissue damage process observed in periodontitis, however direct participation of these mechanisms in the tissue damage is still controversial. Autoimmunity is affected by genetic and environmental factors, leading to an imbalance between the effector and regulatory responses, mostly associated with failed resolution mechanisms. However, dysbiosis/infection and chronic inflammation could trigger autoimmunity by several mechanisms including bystander activation, dysregulation of toll-like receptors, amplification of autoimmunity by cytokines, epitope spreading, autoantigens complementarity, autoantigens overproduction, microbial translocation, molecular mimicry, superantigens, and activation or inhibition of receptors related to autoimmunity by microorganisms. Even though autoreactivity in periodontitis is biologically plausible, the associated mechanisms could be related to non-pathologic responses which could even explain non-recognized physiological functions. In this review we shall discuss from a descriptive point of view, the autoimmune mechanisms related to periodontitis physio-pathogenesis and the participation of oral dysbiosis on local periodontal autoimmune responses as well as on different systemic inflammatory diseases.
What Impacts Early Language Skills? Effects of Social Disparities and Different Process Characteristics of the Home Learning Environment in the First 2 Years

It is well documented that the language skills of preschool children differ substantially and that these differences are highly predictive of their later academic success and achievements. Especially in the early phases of children’s lives, the importance of different structural and process characteristics of the home learning environment (HLE) has been emphasized and research results have documented that process characteristics such as the quality of parental interaction behavior and the frequency of joint activities vary according to the socio-economic status (SES) of the family. Further, both structural and process characteristics are associated with children’s language development. As most of the studies focus on single indicators or didn’t take the dynamics of parenting behavior across age into account, the present paper aims to investigate the associations of different characteristics of the home learning environment as well as their potentially changing impact on the language skills of 2-year-old children. Using data of 2.272 families of the infant cohort study of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), longitudinally assessed process characteristics (sensitivity in the sense of maternal responsivity to the child’s behavior and signals in mother–child interaction; maternal stimulation behavior which goes beyond the child’s actual level of action and development; frequency of joint picture book reading) and structural characteristics (mother’s education, equivalised household income, parental occupational status) were considered. Language skills (vocabulary and grammar) of the children at the age of two were measured by a standardized and validated parent report instrument (child language checklist). Results showed that (1) all three process characteristics of the home learning environment (HLE) are associated with the family’s SES; (2) across three assessment waves nearly all process characteristics predicted children’s vocabulary and grammar skills with some process-specific changes across waves; (3) despite separate direct effects of nearly all HLE-process characteristics in each wave, the amount of explained variance in a joint model including the HLE facets from each wave is hardly higher than in the separate models; and (4) socioeconomic background predicted both language facets of the children in each model even when controlling for the assessed process characteristics of the home learning environment.
Use of Low-Volatile Solid Fuels in a 100 kW Chemical-Looping Combustor

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be used to mitigate climate change. Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is an innovative carbon-capture technology with potential to drastically reduce the capture cost. In CLC, oxygen is transported from combustion air to fuel by means of metal-oxide particles, called oxygen carrier. This work presents findings from a 100 kW CLC reactor system, which is designed as interconnected fluidized beds. The 100 kW unit was operated with ilmenite as the oxygen carrier. Swedish wood char and Mexican petcoke, both having low volatile content, were used as fuel. High gas conversion was achieved with both fuels. The carbon capture efficiency was high with wood char, but not as high with petcoke. The duration of operation was 34.5 h with fuel, of which the majority, 31 h, was achieved with wood char. Oxygen demand was strongly correlated with the solids inventory in the fuel reactor, as has been observed in previous works. Using wood char as fuel, gas conversion was 90-95.3%, except during high fuel power, and carbon capture efficiency was 93-97%, except during high fuel power. The gas conversion should be compared to what has previously been observed in the 100 kW unit, where the highest gas conversion was 84%, using a bituminous coal. Furthermore, comparatively high solid fuel conversion was seen in many tests with wood char-the highest value was 89%. Using petcoke as fuel, high gas conversion was achieved even when employing very high fuel power, 148 kW. The highest gas conversion for petcoke was 89%. The carbon capture efficiency was, however, much lower than what has been observed with pulverized coal and wood char. In summary, this study shows that important improvements can be achieved regarding gas conversion in the 100 kW unit by using low-volatile fuels.
Theoretical Study of Reaction Mechanism and Stereoselectivity of Arylmalonate Decarboxylase

The reaction mechanism of arylmalonate decarboxylase is investigated using density functional theory calculations. This enzyme catalyzes the asymmetric decarboxylation of prochiral disubstituted malonic acids to yield the corresponding enantiopure carboxylic acids. The quantum chemical cluster approach is employed, and two different models of the active site are designed: a small one to study the mechanism and characterize the stationary points and a large one to study the enantioselectivity. The reactions of both α-methyl-α-phenylmalonate and α-methyl-α-vinylmalonate are considered, and different substrate binding modes are assessed. The calculations overall give strong support to the suggested mechanism in which decarboxylation of the substrate first takes place, followed by a stereoselective protonation by a cysteine residue. The enediolate intermediate and the transition states are stabilized by a number of hydrogen bonds that make up the dioxyanion hole, resulting in feasible energy barriers. It is f.
Water reuse perceptions of students, faculty and staff at Western University, Canada

Global fresh water resources are under increasing pressure from rapidly growing demands and changing climatic conditions. Wastewater reclamation is becoming an important alternative for sustainable water resources management and building climate change resiliency in many regions around the world. Public acceptance and trust of consumers in the quality of reclaimed water is considered by many to be the most important factor determining the outcomes of water reclamation projects. Knowledge of the urban water cycle and water reuse perceptions of student, faculty and staff at Western University were investigated. Results showed that members of the university community are more likely to accept reclaimed wastewater for applications that do not involve drinking or close personal contact. Knowledge of the urban water cycle and water resources in Canada is modest among the university community with a moderate (G = 0.303, p < 0.05) positive relationship between ‘water knowledge’ and ‘close contact acceptability’. The majority of the university community (75.8%) thinks that reclaiming water to provide an alternate source of water in southwestern Ontario is a good idea, but there are still concerns about the presence of chemicals such as pharmaceuticals from reclaimed water and the long-term effects on human health from exposure to these contaminants.
Efeito do peso de tilápia no nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) sobre e rendimento e a qualidade de seus filés defumados com e sem pele

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different weights of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on yield and quality of smoked and in natura fillets, with and without skin. One hundred tilapias, divided into three weight classes (C1=500-600g; C2=601-700g; C3=701-800g) were used. Two fillet types, with skin and without skin were removed from each sample, salted and hot smoked. Weight affected yield of in natura (C1 = 38.54; C2 = 40.23 e C3 = 40.47%) and smoked fillets (C1 = 22.97; C2 = 24.51 e C3 = 24.68%), and in natura fillet mass index (C1 = 36.69; C2 = 39.45 e C3 = 41.18 g.cm-2). The latter was higher in classes C2 and C3. Fillet with skin had a higher (p<0.05) water activity (0.99) rate than that of fillet without skin (0.98). Salt rate was higher (p<0.01) in smoked fillets than in natura ones. It was observed higher salt levels in the C1 skinless class. With the exception of a* and b* in natura fillet, no difference was reported in color. Smoked fillets from C3 class fish were more acceptable by judges. In larger fish the equation Y= -21.52 + 0.16034X (r=0.80), where X is the weight of fish, may be employed to calculate smoked fillets size, while Y= -17.74 + 0.14198X (r=0.81) for smoked skin-less fillets. Regardless of skin presence, the smoked fillets from largest fishes (C2 and C3 classes) yielded better results (approximately 24%), as well as in the sensorial analysis, related to salt ratio and general acceptance. Fillets in natura showed low values to a* and b*. Weight classes and skin presence in the fillets had no influence in composition, but caused a variation in their area and thickness. The largest fillets were with skin, belonging to class C3.
Tetragonal Y-doped zirconia: Structure and ion conductivity

Zirconia is of great industrial importance as support for catalysts and as ion conductor. Especially when mechanical stability is needed in environments with varying temperature the tetragonal modification is superior, because of its high resistivity against physical shocks and thermal stresses. In this study density functional theory is used to investigate the interaction between Y impurities and oxygen vacancies and to develop in this way a structural model for Y-doped zirconia. For every two Y defects an O vacancy is formed at a distance of about $4.11 \AA{}$ to each dopant. An activation energy for ion conductivity of 0.87 eV is calculated in very good agreement with experimental findings.
The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of an alternating ethene/maleic anhydride copolymer and the corresponding acid and sodium salt

The 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra of an alternating ethene/maleic anhydride copolymer and the corresponding acid and sodium salt were reinvestigated with regard to the signals depending on the configuration of the succinyl unit. From these assignments a 85/ 15 ratio of threo- and erythrosuccinyl configurations was determined. Threo- and erythro-units are statistically distributed. Furthermore, signal splittings were observed due to microtacticity. Explanations are given for the signal fine structure. The polymer chain is atactic but a small degree of stereoregularity can be proved. T 1 values and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) factors were determined; they correspond to investigations on other polymers
Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol on Supported Ru-Co Bimetallic Catalysts

The hydrogenolysis of biomass-derived glycerol was studied on Ru-Co bimetallic catalysts, including Ru-Co/TiO2, Ru-Co/ZrO2, Ru-Co/SiO2 and Ru-Co/γ-Al2O3. The addition of Co to the Ru-based catalysts can promote the selectivity to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO). The support material and Ru/Co atomic ratio has a significant effect on the catalytic performance. Ru-Co/ZrO2 exhibited the best performance as regard to both the activity and the selectivity to 1,2-PDO. Co is a promising second metal component to adjust the catalytic properties of Ru-based catalysts for the selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol.
Pyrolysis and catalyzed pyrolysis in the investigation of a neogene shale potential from Valjevo-Mionica Basin, Serbia

The generative potential of a Neogene shale from Valjevo-Mionica Basin (Serbia) was investigated using conventional pyrolysis and pyrolysis in the presence of Pt(IV)- and Ru(III)-ions at temperatures 250 and 400 °C. Total liquid pyrolysate and hydrocarbon yields obtained in pyrolytic experiments, group composition of liquid pyrolysates, and distributions of saturated biomarkers and alkylaromatics in pyrolysates showed that the shale is in a catagenetic stage and may be a source of liquid hydrocarbons. It was estimated that similar shales found at a depth of 2300−2900 m would become active oil generating source rock where the minimum temperature necessary for catagenetic hydrocarbon generation is between 103 and 107 °C. The used metal ions, demonstrated significant positive effects on the yields of total liquid pyrolysate and corresponding hydrocarbons, at both temperatures 250 and 400 °C. Comparison of the results of alkylaromatics maturity parameters with maturity ratios calculated from distribution and .
Theoretical determination of the radiative lifetime of the A 2Σ+ state of OH

The radiative lifetime of the A 2Σ+(v′=0, N′=1) state of OH has been computed, using the theoretical potentials and transition moment, to be 673 ns, in excellent agreement with two of the experimental values (686±14 and 693±10 ns) determined by laser excitation fluorescence. The electron correlation treatment has been calibrated using full CI (FCI) calculations in a [4s3p2d/2s1p] Gaussian basis set. When a δ orbital is included in the CASSCF/MRCI treatment, the transition moment is within 0.2% of the FCI value. A basis set study shows that the [6s5p4d2f1g/4s3p2d] ANO basis set employed in our study is probably within 1% of the basis set limit for the transition moment. The theoretical radiative lifetimes, which are expected to be lower bounds and accurate to 2%, are sufficiently accurate to rule out the slightly lower value determined by Hanle effect studies, and the higher values determined for the v′=0 N′=1 level by the high frequency deflection technique (HFD). The HFD lifetimes for higher N′ values, h.
The Coercivity of Hard Ferrite Single Crystals

Magnetic properties of Sr-, Ba- and Sr-Ba-ferrite single crystals are reported. From torque measurements results: Sr-ferrite: Ms = (380 ± 20) G, K1 = (3.5 ± 0.1) × 106 erg cm−3; Ba-ferrite: Ms = (380 ± 20) G, K1 = (3.2 ± 0.1) × 106 erg cm−3. A large difference was found by a comparison of Hci, theor (coherent rotation) with Hci, meas (oriented Sr-ferrite magnet). The very small (generally even positive) nucleation fields, measured on single crystal plates of different chemical composition and different crystal sizes can qualitatively explain the low values and the grain size dependence of Hci. Es wird uber die magnetischen Eigenschaften von Sr-, Ba- und Sr-Ba-Ferrit-Einkristallen berichtet, Drehmomentmessungen ergeben: Sr-Ferrit: (380 ± 20) G, K1 = (3.5 ± 0.1) × 106 erg cm−3; Ba-Ferrit: Ms = (380 ± 20) G, K1 = (3.2 ± 0.1) × 106 erg cm−3. Ein Vergleich von Hci, theor (koharente Rotation) mit Hci, meas (anisotroper Sr-Ferrit-Magnet) zeigt eine grose Differenz. Die sehr geringen (im allgemeinen sogar positiven) Keimbildungsfeldstarken, die an Kristallplatten verschiedener Grose und chemischer Zusammensetzung gemessen wurden, gestatten ein qualitatives Verstandnis der niedrigen Hci-Werte sowie deren Korngrosenabhangigkeit.