Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of Flexible Arrayed Lactate Biosensor Based on Immobilizing LDH-NAD+ on NiO Film Modified by GO and MBs

We proposed the flexible arrayed lactate biosensor based on immobilizing l-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) on nickel oxide (NiO) film, and which the average sensitivity could be enhanced by using graphene oxide (GO) and magnetic beads (MBs). By using GO and MBs, it exhibits excellent sensitivity (45.397 mV/mM) with a linearity of 0.992 in a range of 0.2 mM to 3 mM. According to the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the electron transfer resistance of LDH-NAD+-MBs/GPTS/GO/NiO film was smaller than those of LDH-NAD+/GPTS/GO/NiO film and LDH-NAD+/GPTS/NiO film, and it presented the outstanding electron transfer ability. After that, the limit of detection, anti-interference effect and bending test were also investigated.
Protein synthesis is not required for male pronuclear formation in bovine zygotes

Summary Following fertilisation, the sperm triggers a series of intracellular changes which initiate oocyte activation and pronuclear formation. Oocyte activation can also be induced artificially by several chemicals, such as the calcium ionophore A23187. The sperm nucleus is transformed into the male pronucleus through the interaction of oocyte cytoplasmic factors. The profile of protein synthesis is different in bovine oocytes following fertilisation and parthenogenetic activation. The formation of male and female pronuclei was not blocked by the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. These results suggest that bovine oocyte activation by sperm and parthenogenetic activation induce different cytoplasmic responses for protein synthesis and that new protein synthesis is not required for male pronuclear formation in bovine zygotes.
Serum prohepcidin concentration: no association with iron absorption in healthy men; and no relationship with iron status in men carrying HFE mutations, hereditary haemochromatosis patients undergoing phlebotomy treatment, or pregnant women

Hepcidin plays a major role in iron homeostasis, but understanding its role has been hampered by the absence of analytical methods for quantification in blood. A commercial ELISA has been developed for serum prohepcidin, a hepcidin precursor, and there is interest in its potential use in the clinical and research arena. We investigated the association between serum prohepcidin concentration and iron absorption in healthy men, and its relationship with iron status in men carrying HFE mutations, hereditary haemochromatosis patients, and pregnant women. Iron absorption was determined in thirty healthy men (fifteen wild-type, fifteen C282Y heterozygote) using the stable isotope red cell incorporation technique. Iron status was measured in 138 healthy men (ninety-one wild-type, forty-seven C282Y heterozygote), six hereditary haemochromatosis patients, and thirteen pregnant women. Mean serum prohepcidin concentrations were 214 (sd 118) ng/ml [208 (sd 122) ng/ml in wild-type and 225 (sd 109) ng/ml in C282Y heterozygotes] in healthy men, 177 (sd 36) ng/ml in haemochromatosis patients, and 159 (sd 59) ng/ml in pregnant women. There was no relationship between serum prohepcidin concentration and serum ferritin in any subject groups, nor was it associated with efficiency of iron absorption. Serum prohepcidin is not a useful biomarker for clinical or research purposes.
Introducing models for implementing cost of quality system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop two models in the field of cost of quality. One model would be for estimating/calculating cost of quality and the second model would be for implementing cost of quality system in an industry.Design/methodology/approach – Although most industries are aware of the benefits of cost of quality, only a few of them are using it in their organization because they do not know how to calculate and implement same. Hence, to help those industries, simple models are proposed for calculating cost of quality and for implementing cost of quality system.Findings – Cost of quality models are developed and later on they are validated through a case study. It is observed that by implementing same, the cost of quality reduced significantly in the chosen industry.Originality/value – Average industries do not have resources to hire the services of consultants to implement cost of quality systems in their industries, therefore the simple models proposed in the paper will be of g.
Fluorescent nanoparticles for the accurate detection of drug delivery

Introduction: The application of intravenously administered nanoparticle (NP) therapies is increasingly being explored for a variety of diseases. The key to their success lies in a thorough understanding of nanoparticle pharmacological behavior, specificity and elimination kinetics. Fluorescent imaging techniques provide exciting opportunities to gain insight into such NP behavior in complex biological systems, at macroscopic as well as microscopic levels. Areas covered: In this review, we will summarize NP labeling methods in relation to their established and emerging fluorescent imaging modalities for in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo studies of NP behavior. We will highlight novel applications and discuss recent developments in techniques such as fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT), Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), and Raman imaging. Finally, we will provide a perspective on the challenges and future directions of NP-based fluorescent labeling and imaging in nanotherapeutics. Expert opinion: Commonly used in preclinical applications, fluorescent imaging of NPs can be achieved with minimal invasiveness and low toxicity in a multiplex fashion. Increasingly applied in the study of NP biodistribution, dissociation, and elimination behavior, fluorescent imaging allows fluid longitudinal tracking and visualization of NP interactions at the level of the whole animal, target organs/tissues, and individual cells.
Estimation of instants of significant excitation using accumulated energy function of DCT

This correspondence proposes an effective algorithm for estimation of instants of significant excitation that are exclusively present in the voiced speech. The proposed method is based on the idea that the fundamental frequency signal can be generated by the reconstruction of the signal using the first few DCT coefficients. The critical window including the required number of DCT coefficients is identified using the accumulated energy function (AEF) of DCT. This AEF function is evaluated by computing the energies of the signals constructed by expanding the window each time to include the next DCT coefficient. Many work reported in the literature yield better estimates of these instants of excitation present in the voiced speech. However, their estimations are not restricted to voiced regions alone causing spurious instants in non-voiced regions. The major advantage of this method is its inbuilt extended ability to differentiate voiced/non-voiced speech preventing spurious instants in non-voiced regions. The well-known method for instants estimation, DYPSA, is reviewed, evaluated and, the new algorithm is compared with it using the CMU Arctic database. The results clearly show that the generation of 85% of the spurious instants in non-voiced region are avoided without any serious compromise in the identification rate(IDR). Moreover, this technique is time-effective and has a tuning parameter to control the miss rate(MR) and the false alarm rate(FAR).
Using Higher Moments to Estimate the Simple Errors-in-Variables Model

Using sample moments up to the fourth in the standard simple regression model with measurement errors allows testing whether the parameters are identified by having independent variables that are not normally distributed. These moments can be used to estimate the parameters, if identified, consistently and asymptotically efficiently by minimum chi-squared. Available instruments may be used to get more efficient, consistent estimates. A Monte Carlo study indicates that the approach offers a feasible, practical approach to handling errors in variables. Inference may sometimes be improved by using bootstrapped estimates.
Anesthesia for percutaneous transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect.

OBJECTIVE To review the anesthetic management for percutaneous transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) with an Amplatzer asymmetric occluder device and to highlight the hemodynamic effects and potential complications associated with its delivery. DESIGN Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. SETTING University-affiliated teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Nine consecutive children undergoing elective percutaneous transcatheter closure of perimembranous VSD. INTERVENTIONS General anesthesia with sevoflurane for cardiac catheterization and percutaneous transcatheter device placement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Ten anesthetics were delivered in 9 children ages 23 to 65 months with perimembranous VSD for attempted placement of an Amplatzer asymmetric device. The device was successfully placed in 7 patients. In 1 patient the device embolized to the right femoral artery, and was retrieved with a bioptome. Fluoroscopy time (59.8 +/- 17.24 min) was prolonged compared to that in other studies of placement of this device. All patients had episodes of arrhythmia and hemodynamic disturbance. Arrhythmias ranged from atrial or ventricular ectopic events to various degrees of atrioventricular block. Complete heart block occurred during the procedure in 1 patient and after the procedure in another patient. Hypotensive episodes occurred in 7 patients, and were attributed to arrhythmias in 5 patients and hypovolemia in 2 patients. Two patients were given blood transfusions after the procedure because they had signs of hypovolemia and a greater than 10% decrease in hemoglobin levels. CONCLUSIONS Anesthesia for perimembranous VSD occluder placement is associated with hemodynamic instability, arrhythmias, prolonged procedure times, and inevitable and sometimes substantial blood loss.
Road traffic state estimation framework based on hybrid assisted global positioning system and uplink time difference of arrival data collection methods

With the rapid increase of vehicles on the road, road traffic flow information is indispensible to our daily life. Different Intelligent Transport System applications like advanced Traffic Transport System are dependent on proper road traffic state information. Among the different activities in road traffic flow estimation, road traffic data collection plays the great role. The current state-of-the-practice road traffic data collection tools used to gather information about traffic flow are fixed sensor technologies which are limited in road coverage and affected by maintenance and deployment costs. Using the existing cellular network infrastructure to gather road traffic data offers large coverage capability and it is faster to set up, easier to install and needs less maintenance. Based on the analysis of relevant studies on road traffic state estimation, this paper proposes a universal framework based on experimentally evaluated hybrid Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) and Uplink Time Difference Of Arrival (U-TDOA) real-time road traffic data collection system. The framework integrates several models with appropriate technologies to realize traffic data collection, processing, analysis, state estimation and optimization and presentation of traffic flow information to road users. In Data analysis component a new approach of taking probe sample, i.e. dynamic “Pinpoint-Temporal” sampling frequency method is proposed.
Accumulation and Intracellular Distribution of Antitrypanosomal Diamidine Compounds DB75 and DB820 in African Trypanosomes

ABSTRACT The aromatic diamidine pentamidine has long been used to treat early-stage human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Two analogs of pentamidine, DB75 and DB820, have been shown to be more potent and less toxic than pentamidine in murine models of trypanosomiasis. The diphenyl furan diamidine, DB75, is the active metabolite of the prodrug DB289, which is currently in phase III clinical trials as a new orally active candidate drug to treat first-stage HAT. The new aza analog, DB820, is the active diamidine of the prodrug DB844, currently undergoing preclinical evaluation as a new candidate to treat HAT of the central nervous system. The exact mechanisms of antitrypanosomal activity of aromatic dications remain poorly understood, with multiple mechanisms hypothesized. Pentamidine is known to be actively transported into trypanosomes and binds to DNA within the nucleus and kinetoplast. A long-hypothesized mechanism of action has been that DNA binding ultimately leads to interference with DNA-associated enzymes. Both DB75 and DB820 are intensely fluorescent, which provides an important tool for determining the kinetics of accumulation and intracellular distribution in trypanosomes. We show in the current study that DB75 and DB820 rapidly accumulate and strongly concentrate within trypanosomes, with intracellular concentrations over 15,000-fold higher than mouse plasma concentrations. Both compounds initially accumulate in the DNA-containing nucleus and kinetoplast, but at later time points, they concentrate in non-DNA-containing cytoplasmic organelles. Analyses of the kinetics of uptake and intracellular distribution are necessary to begin to define antitrypanosomal mechanisms of action of DB75, DB820, and other aromatic diamidines.
1.5 ppm/°C nano-Watt resistorless MOS-only voltage reference

This paper presents a MOS-only high power supply rejection (PSRR) voltage reference with a very low temperature coefficient (TC) that consumes only tens of nano-Watt. It is composed by a threshold voltage monitor circuit with no resistors, cascaded with a thermal voltage generator, adequate for fabrication in standard processes. Since the MOS transistors operate in subthreshold and near-threshold regimes the current consumption is very low. The operation of the circuit is analytically described and a design methodology is proposed. Post-layout simulations for a design in a 130 nm CMOS process are presented, resulting a reference voltage around 670 mV with a best case TC of 1.5 ppm/°C for the -40 to +125 °C range and an average TC of 20 ppm/°C over process variations, untrimmed. A very low sensitivity to VDD is achieved, resulting a PSRR lower than -71 dB at 100 Hz and a line sensitivity (LS) lower than 576 ppm/V for a supply range from 1 to 3 V. The area is very small, 0.0084 mm2 including the start-up stage.
Governing good, bad and ugly workplaces? Explaining the paradox of state-steered voluntarism in New Labour’s Skills Strategy

The post-compulsory education and training system in the UK has long been defined as an archetypical voluntarist model. Yet, with the election of a New Labour government in 1997, the relationship between the state as supply-side provider of skills and employers as the demanders of skills began to subtly change. An additional rhetoric emerged in skills policy that suggested a role for the state to shape higher skills demands. This instigated a move towards what is here defined by the oxymoron ‘state-steered voluntarism’; an approach to the governance of skills which aimed to deliver both a demand-led skills system and a system to lead demand. Drawing on policy documents and interviews with key policy-makers, this article offers an interpretive analysis of New Labour’s ideas about the nature of workplaces, and the role of the state and skills providers in response, that explains the existence of policy paradox. We find that New Labour articulated three distinct strategies for governing skills, depending on whether workplaces were perceived to have ‘good’, ‘bad’, or frankly ‘ugly’ skills aspirations. However, whilst this threefold skills strategy seemingly served the purpose of containing multiple policy objectives and creating a graded role for state action, it was also prone to being used selectively by those with vested interests in UK skills policy (i.e. the representatives of businesses and employers and the representatives of employees and learners).
GCC countries and the nexus between exchange rate and oil price: What wavelet decomposition reveals?

We employ wavelet decomposition and nonlinear causality test to investigate the nexus between the real oil price and the real effective exchange rate in three GCC countries: Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. We find strong evidence in favour of a feedback hypothesis in Qatar and UAE and of a neutrality hypothesis in Saudi Arabia. The first observation outcome means that Qatar and UAE should reinforce the downward effect of oil price on real exchange rate by improving diversification policy. The second one implies that the behaviour of Saudi Arabia as a price taker may allow it to maintain a quick recovery under oil shocks.
ESTIMATING CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF FLORIDA SOILS USING SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE

This study was conducted to develop fundamental relationships between soil properties from three representative Florida soil orders and their spectral characteristics. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a real–time soil property sensor for use in effective farm management. A total of 270 samples collected from the three representative soil orders (Alfisol, Entisol, and Ultisol) in Florida were used for analysis. Soil samples were obtained from 0 to 15 cm depth at 15 sampling points within three specific fields of 2.0 ha each of the three soil orders at six different times of the year, assuring a wide range of sample variability in sampling times and locations. Reflectance of the soil samples was measured in the range of 400 to 2498 nm with a 2 nm increment, and the corresponding nutrient content (P, K, Ca, and Mg) along with pH and soil organic matter content was measured for each of the samples. Partial least squares analysis was used to build prediction models with a calibration data set of 180 randomly chosen samples. The remaining 90 samples were used to validate the models. The prediction models for measured soil chemical properties for the three soil orders yielded R2 values of 0.24 to 0.88. This result could be useful in the development of a soil nutrient sensor for site–specific crop management.
Regulation of gene expression dynamics during developmental transitions by the Ikaros transcription factor

In this study, Arenzana et al. perform a detailed analysis of the functional abnormalities at five sequential stages of thymocyte development in an Ikaros mutant mouse strain followed by RNA-seq to document the gene expression changes seen in the mutant cells. By combining the quantitative power of the RNA-seq method with the analysis of five sequential stages of development, the findings demonstrate a unique function for Ikaros in supporting dynamic changes in gene expression during developmental transitions.
Elusive Tactics: Urban Youth Navigating the Aftermath of War in Burundi

The dissertation, based on fourteen months of ethnographic fieldwork research, explores the social genesis of war and peace in Burundi. The topic is approached through a focus on everyday practices of classification and identification among youths (16-30 years) on the northern periphery of Bujumbura. It reveals the ways in which male and female youths in marginalized circumstances grapple with insecurities and uncertain prospects concerning violence and exclusion, which characterize Burundi in the aftermath of the civil war. Therewith, the study gives insight into purposive action in indeterminate contexts and illuminates the agency of ‘ordinary people’ – here, youths – in reinventing peace. Among others, it argues that some of the prevalent practices in Burundi can be termed ‘elusive tactics’. Elusive tactics refer to practices that allow people to remain or become more versatile, flexible and, quite literally, difficult to pin down. They foster the desire for or belief in openness and alternatives, beyond the knowledge and power that constrain everyday life. Yet, they also perpetuate and foster mistrustful social relations: extraordinary circumstances and betrayal remain a looming possibility.
Perceived Need for Home- and Community-Based Services: Experiences of Urban Chinese Older Adults With Functional Impairments

ABSTRACT Guided by Cantor’s social care model, this study identified individual, family, and social support factors that influence urban older adults’ need for home- and community-based services, including medical and rehabilitation, instrumental care and support, and psychosocial services. The data were extracted from the Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China conducted by the China Research Center on Aging in 2006. Results from multiple logistic regression show that older adults’ need for medical and rehabilitation services is significantly related to instrumental activities of daily living, depression, not having filial children, friend support networks, and having a confidant. Older adults’ need for instrumental care and support is related to their educational attainment, financial strain, instrumental activities of daily living, not living with children, and friend support networks. Finally, older adults’ need for psychosocial services is significantly related to educational attainment, depression, not being married, friend support networks, and having a confidant. Implications for social service development are discussed.
Towards a framework for promoting financial stability in New Zealand

Central banks, like the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, make judgements and take actions to promote the stability of the financial system. This involves making decisions in inherently uncertain situations. For example, how is financial stability defined? How can we recognise an imminent financial crisis? And, how is a financial crisis best mitigated or recovered from? This article presents a step towards a broad conceptual framework for promoting financial system stability and guiding the Bank's policy actions. We argue that the preconditions for financial stability are met when all financial system risks are being adequately identified, allocated, priced and managed. The financial system is made up of markets, institutions, and payments and settlement systems. Financial system risks broadly include credit, liquidity, market and operational risks. All of the preconditions are important to best ensuring that the financial system is resilient to a wide range of economic and financial shocks, and able to absorb financial crisis losses with least disruption. The preconditions for financial stability also best ensure that the financial system is efficient in its delivery of financial services, and allocating resources throughout the economy. In making assessments of financial stability, the Reserve Bank does not have a single, well-defined quantitative measure. Instead we draw on a variety of information, practices, and ongoing research. The Bank conducts regular surveillance of financial risks and reports on its assessments in the twice-yearly Financial Stability Report.