Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Excellent Passivation of Silicon Surfaces by Thin Films of Electron-Beam-Processed Titanium Dioxide

Dielectric of a titanium dioxide thin film is currently re-emerging as a passivating material for high-efficiency crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, owing to its good passivation quality and appropriate band offset when in contact with c-Si. Here, we demonstrate effective passivation on c-Si substrates by electron-beam-processed titanium oxide layers, which are obtained by low-temperature thermal oxidation of predeposited pure titanium thin films. A derived titanium oxide layer by 3.5-nm titanium at 250 °C yields a surface recombination velocity down to 16 cm/s. Structural characterizations reveal that the resultant oxide layers are amorphous titanium dioxide. The passivation property is attributed to Si–O–Ti bonding at the Si–titanium dioxide interface as well as to the presence of an interfacial silicon dioxide layer. The easy processing and high-level passivation capability make these titanium dioxide thin films highly desirable to serve as a good passivating choice toward high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.
CYR61 is a novel gene associated with temperature‐dependent changes in fish metabolism as revealed by cDNA microarray analysis on a medaka Oryzias latipes cell line

A microarray comprising 3,514 cDNAs was constructed from a medaka EST library to elucidate the transcriptional responses associated with temperature shift from 25 to 15°C in a medaka cell line. Microarray analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of 313 clones were significantly different in at least one combination of different incubation periods up to 7 days at a given incubation temperature or between 25 and 15°C at a given incubation period (P < 0.05). These genes are known to be associated with various biological processes including morphogenesis, cell proliferation and response to stress. A number of genes encoding proteins which localize in extracellular areas were apparently up‐regulated at 15°C, whereas those localizing in intracellular areas were down‐regulated at this temperature. In addition, while a number of genes represented long‐term expression changes, only a few responded to short‐term inductions. A typical example was CYR61, a multifunctional matricellular signaling modulator, the mRNA levels of which increased after temperature shift from 25 to 15°C in 3 h, and then decreased rapidly to near the original level within 12 h. Another series of analyses by quantitative reverse transcription‐PCR revealed that the mRNA levels of CYR61 at 5°C were significantly higher even at 24 h after temperature shift compared to those of the cells successively maintained at 25°C. These analyses suggest that remodeling and reorganizing of extracellular structure of cells are important to offset the low temperature effect and CYR61 is considered to be a novel gene associated with temperature response in poikilotherms. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1297–1310, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intracochlear Recordings of Acoustically and Electrically Evoked Potentials in Nucleus Hybrid L24 Cochlear Implant Users and Their Relationship to Speech Perception

The Hybrid cochlear implant (CI) has been developed for individuals with high frequency hearing loss who retain good low frequency hearing. Outcomes have been encouraging but individual variability is high; the health of the cochlea and the auditory nerve may be important factors driving outcomes. Electrically evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) reflect the response of the auditory nerve to electrical stimulation while electrocochleography (ECochG) reflects the response of the cochlear hair cells and auditory nerve to acoustic stimulation. In this study both ECAPs and ECochG responses were recorded from Nucleus Hybrid L24 CI users. Correlations between these two measures of peripheral auditory function and speech perception are reported. This retrospective study includes data from 25 L24 CI users. ECAPs and ECochG responses were recorded from an intracochlear electrode using stimuli presented at or near maximum acceptable loudness levels. Speech perception was assessed using Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) word lists presented in quiet and AzBio sentences presented at a +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio in both the combined acoustic and electric (A+E) and electric (E) alone listening modes. Acoustic gain was calculated by subtracting these two scores. Correlations between these physiologic and speech perception measures were then computed. ECAP amplitudes recorded from the most apical electrode were significantly correlated with CNC scores measured in the E alone (r = 0.56) and A+E conditions (r = 0.64), but not with performance on the AzBio test. ECochG responses recorded using the most apical electrode in the intracochlear array but evoked using a 500 Hz tone burst were not correlated with either the scores on the CNC or AzBio tests. However, ECochG amplitude was correlated with a composite metric relating the additional benefit of acoustic gain in noise relative to quiet conditions (r = 0.67). Both measures can be recorded from Hybrid L24 CI users and both ECAP and ECochG measures may result in more complete characterization of speech perception outcomes than either measure alone.
A new method to evaluate lower eyelid sag using three‐dimensional image analysis

Lower eyelid sags as well as wrinkles represent age‐related morphological changes of the skin surface. However, a quantitative method to evaluate lower eyelid sagging has not been previously established. We designed a new quantitative evaluation method that uses non‐invasive skin scanning, which is based on the difference between the superficial dimension of the sagging surface of the lower eyelid and the dimension of its projection area. In 97 females, 2‐D and the 3‐D images were taken. By 3‐D image analysis, the difference between the superficial dimension of the sagging surface of the lower eyelid and the dimension of its virtual projection area was assessed, and was defined as the sag parameter. This parameter was significantly correlated with the sag score (a photographic scale to assess the degree of sagging) and with aging. The accuracy of the sag parameter was confirmed in a clinical test using a sag treatment lotion and a placebo lotion. The sag score decreased in skin treated with the sag treatment lotion, but the change was not significantly different from that of the placebo treated skin. On the contrary, the sag parameter was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) after topical application of the sag treatment lotion compared with the placebo‐treated skin. These results indicate that the sag parameter as proposed herein is useful in clinical studies to evaluate slight changes in lower eyelid sagging.
SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS − A UNIFYING DEFINITION, COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK, AND ASSESSMENT OF ALGORITHMS FOR IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA

OF DISSERTATION SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS − A UNIFYING DEFINITION, COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK, AND ASSESSMENT OF ALGORITHMS FOR IDENTIFYING INFLUENCERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA Given its relative infancy, there is a dearth of research on a comprehensive view of business social media analytics (SMA). This dissertation first examines current literature related to SMA and develops an integrated, unifying definition of business SMA, providing a nuanced starting point for future business SMA research. This dissertation identifies several benefits of business SMA, and elaborates on some of them, while presenting recent empirical evidence in support of foregoing observations. The dissertation also describes several challenges facing business SMA today, along with supporting evidence from the literature, some of which also offer mitigating solutions in particular contexts. The second part of this dissertation studies one SMA implication focusing on identifying social influencer. Growing social media usage, accompanied by explosive growth in SMA, has resulted in increasing interest in finding automated ways of discovering influencers in online social interactions. Beginning 2008, many variants of multiple basic approaches have been proposed. Yet, there is no comprehensive study investigating the relative efficacy of these methods in specific settings. This dissertation investigates and reports on the relative performance of multiple methods on Twitter datasets containing between them tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of tweets. Accordingly, the second part of the dissertation helps further an understanding of business SMA and its many aspects, grounded in recent empirical work, and is a basis for further research and development. This dissertation provides a relatively comprehensive understanding of SMA and the implementation SMA in influencer identification.
Effectiveness of hand cooling and a cooling jacket on post-exercise cooling rates in hyperthermic athletes

Abstract This study compared the effects of a hand cooling glove (∼16°C water temperature; subatmospheric pressure of −40 mmHg) and a cooling jacket (CJ) on post-exercise cooling rates (gastrointestinal core temperature, Tc; skin temperature, Tsk) and cognitive performance (the Stroop Colour–Word test). Twelve male athletes performed four trials (within subjects, counterbalanced design) involving cycling at a workload equivalent to 75% ⩒O2max in heat (35.7 ± 0.2°C, 49.2 ± 2.6% RH) until a Tc of 39°C or exhaustion occurred. A 30-min cooling period (in 22.3 ± 0.3°C, 42.1 ± 3.6% RH) followed, where participants adopted either one-hand cooling (1H), two-hand cooling (2H), wore a CJ or no cooling (NC). No significant differences were seen in Tc and Tsk cooling rates between trials; however, moderate effect sizes (d = 0.50–0.76) suggested Tc cooling rates to be faster for 1H, 2H and CJ compared to NC after 5 min; 1H and CJ compared to NC after 10 min and for CJ to be faster than 2H at 25–30 min. Reaction times on the cognitive test were similar between all trials after the 30 min cooling/no-cooling period (p > .05). In conclusion, Tc cooling rates were faster with 1H and CJ during the first 10 min compared to NC, with minimal benefit associated with 2H cooling. Reaction time responses were not impacted by the use of the glove(s) or CJ.
Sectoral exports dynamics of Turkey: a panel co-integration analysis

This paper analyzes the role of unit labor costs and individual cost components in determining sectoral export dynamics and the change in the impact of these costs after the sequence of structural reforms in Turkey as of 2001. It employs a multivariate panel co-integration technique across 17 Turkish manufacturing sec- tors at different time periods. Results suggest that average elasticity changes not only between the time periods but also across the sectors. Cross-sectional elasticity differ- ences are mostly attributable to the sectoral competitiveness and factor intensities.
Cyclosporin A inhibition of aggrecanase-mediated proteoglycan catabolism in articular cartilage.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of cyclosporin A (CSA) on aggrecanase- and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-mediated catabolism of proteoglycan (aggrecan) in articular cartilage explants stimulated with interleukin-1 (IL-1) in a culture system that mimics early pathologic processes associated with arthritic disease. METHODS Proteoglycan (glycosaminoglycan) and lactate quantification, Western immunoblot analyses of aggrecan degradation products, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses of aggrecanase-1, aggrecanase-2 (ADAM-TS4, ADAM-TS5, respectively), MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1), TIMP-2, and TIMP-3 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in articular cartilage explant cultures, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay analysis of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT) transcription factor activation were used. RESULTS CSA inhibited, in a dose-dependent and noncytotoxic manner, aggrecanase-mediated proteoglycan catabolism and loss from IL-1-stimulated cartilage explants. There was no evidence of MMP-mediated aggrecan catabolism in this in vitro model. Treatment of articular cartilage explant cultures with 10 ng/ml of IL-1alpha up-regulated the expression of mRNA for ADAM-TS4, ADAM-TS5, MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-13. The expression of ADAM-TS4, ADAM-TS5, and MMP-13 was abrogated by the inclusion of 10 microM CSA in the culture medium. NF-AT activation was observed in chondrocytes but could not be inhibited by preincubation with 10 microM CSA. CONCLUSION CSA can inhibit IL-1-induced aggrecanase-mediated proteoglycan catabolism in articular cartilage explants maintained in culture for 4 days, thus demonstrating molecular mechanisms whereby CSA may be an effective therapy for degenerative joint disease.
ACTIVATION OF VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE K+ CHANNELS BY ENDOTHELIUM‐DERIVED RELAXING FACTORS

1. Endothelium‐derived relaxing factors (EDRF), including nitric oxide (NO), prostacyclin (PGI2) and an as yet uncharacterized endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), are now recognized to induce relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, in part via the activation of K+ channels.
Cutting Edge: Impaired Glycosphingolipid Trafficking and NKT Cell Development in Mice Lacking Niemann-Pick Type C1 Protein1

Niemann-Pick Type C1 (NPC1) is a late endosomal/lysosomal transmembrane protein involved in the cellular transport of glycosphingolipids and cholesterol that is mutated in a majority of patients with Niemann-Pick C neurodegenerative disease. We found that NPC1-deficient mice lacked Vα14-Jα18 NKT cells, a major population of CD1d-restricted T cells that is conserved in humans. NPC1-deficient mice also exhibited marked defects in the presentation of Sphingomonas cell wall Ags to NKT cells and in bacterial clearance in vivo. A synthetic fluorescent α-glycosylceramide analog of the Sphingomonas Ag trafficked to the lysosome of wild-type cells but accumulated in the late endosome of NPC1-deficient cells. These findings reveal a blockade of lipid trafficking between endosome and lysosome as a consequence of NPC1 deficiency and suggest a common mechanism for the defects in lipid presentation and development of Vα14-Jα18 NKT cells.
Ultrastructural localization of active genes in nuclei of A431 cells

We have studied the ultrastructural localization of active genes in nuclei of the human epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431. Nascent RNA was labeled by incorporation of 5‐bromouridine 5′‐triphosphate, followed by pre‐embedment or postembedment immunogold labeling and electron microscopy using ultrasmall gold‐conjugated antibodies and silver enhancement. This combination of techniques allowed a sensitive and high resolution visualization of RNA synthesis in the nucleus. Transcription sites were identified as clusters of 3–20 gold particles and were found throughout the nucleoplasm. The clusters had a diameter of less than 200 nm. The distribution of clusters of gold particles in nuclei is preserved in nuclear matrix preparations. Nascent RNA is associated with fibrillar as well as with granular structures in the matrix. A431 nuclei contained on average about 10,000 clusters of gold particles. This means that each cluster represents transcription of probably one active gene or, at most, a few genes. Our study does not provide evidence for aggregation of active genes. We found transcription sites distributed predominantly on the surface of electron‐dense nuclear material, probably lumps of chromatin. This supports a model of transcription activation preferentially on the boundary between a chromosome domain and the interchromatin space. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression of a Functional Antizearalenone Single-Chain Fv Antibody in Transgenic ArabidopsisPlants

ABSTRACT The efficacy of cloning a recombinant mycotoxin antibody in plants was tested using Arabidopsis as a model. An antizearalenone single-chain Fv (scFv) DNA fragment was first cloned in the newly constructed phage display vector (pEY.5) and then recloned in the plant transformation vector pKYLX71::35S2. After transformation, constructs of antizearalenone scFv were introduced into immature Arabidopsis seeds via Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediation by vacuum infiltration. Only plants transformed with the construct containing a PR-1b signal peptide sequence produced transgenic offspring. The antizearalenone scFv “plantibody” from these transgenic plants bound zearalenone with a high affinity (50% inhibitory concentration, 11.2 ng/ml) that was comparable to that of bacterially produced scFv antibody and the parent monoclonal antibody (MAb). By electron microscopic immunogold labeling, the presence of antizearalenone scFv was detected mainly in the cytoplasm and only occasionally outside the cell. Like bacterially produced scFv antibody, antizearalenone scFv plantibody exhibited greater sensitivity to methanol destabilization than did the parent MAb. The sensitivity of antizearalenone scFv plantibody to acidic disassociation was similar to the sensitivities of bacterially produced scFv antibody and MAb. Expression of specific plantibodies in crops might be useful for neutralizing mycotoxins in animal feeds and for reducing mycotoxin-associated plant diseases.
Structural Advantage of Sugar Beet α-Glucosidase to Stabilize the Michaelis Complex with Long-chain Substrate

Background: Most plant α-glucosidases prefer long-chain substrates. Results: Inhibitory and structural analyses using the unique 4–10-mer inhibitors identified the substrate binding mode of the enzyme far from the active-site pocket. Conclusion: The structure of the substrate-binding subsites was suitable for single helical conformation of amylose. Significance: The enzyme seems to ingeniously use the self-stabilizing property of the substrate to form a stable ES complex. The α-glucosidase from sugar beet (SBG) is an exo-type glycosidase. The enzyme has a pocket-shaped active site, but efficiently hydrolyzes longer maltooligosaccharides and soluble starch due to lower Km and higher kcat/Km for such substrates. To obtain structural insights into the mechanism governing its unique substrate specificity, a series of acarviosyl-maltooligosaccharides was employed for steady-state kinetic and structural analyses. The acarviosyl-maltooligosaccharides have a longer maltooligosaccharide moiety compared with the maltose moiety of acarbose, which is known to be the transition state analog of α-glycosidases. The clear correlation obtained between log Ki of the acarviosyl-maltooligosaccharides and log(Km/kcat) for hydrolysis of maltooligosaccharides suggests that the acarviosyl-maltooligosaccharides are transition state mimics. The crystal structure of the enzyme bound with acarviosyl-maltohexaose reveals that substrate binding at a distance from the active site is maintained largely by van der Waals interactions, with the four glucose residues at the reducing terminus of acarviosyl-maltohexaose retaining a left-handed single-helical conformation, as also observed in cycloamyloses and single helical V-amyloses. The kinetic behavior and structural features suggest that the subsite structure suitable for the stable conformation of amylose lowers the Km for long-chain substrates, which in turn is responsible for higher specificity of the longer substrates.
Critical digital infrastructure protection: an investigation into the intergovernmental activities of information technology directors in florida counties

As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, the risk to all networked computer systems increases. Whether public or private, whether federal, state, or local, the threat is equally real. Consequently, local governments must respond accordingly to understand the threats, take measures to protect themselves, and determine how to respond in the event of a system breach. Additionally, since cyber criminals do not respect geographic or administrative boundaries, local leaders must be prepared to instantly interact with other governments, agencies, and departments to suppress an attack. Guided by the theory of intergovernmental management (IGM), this exploratory research investigated how Information Technology (IT) Directors in Florida county constitutional offices use intergovernmental relations and management activities as part of their information security efforts. Specifically, this research sought to determine: (1) which IGM activities do county IT Directors most often perform; (2) do county IT Directors make more use of vertical or horizontal IGM relationships; (3) is there a relationship between office/county demographics and the IGM activities its IT Directors most often perform? To answer these questions, an electronic survey was distributed to 209 directors, of which 125 responded. Overwhelmingly, the findings indicate that these Directors rarely engage in IGM activities regardless of the purpose or type of government/department contacted. However, when seeking intergovernmental assistance, it is most often horizontally with other Departments within their own government and least often vertically with Federal offices. The most frequently performed intergovernmental activity is seeking technical assistance, however seeking program/project information is also perform more frequently than the other activities explored in this research. The least frequently performed activities involved seeking to modify established IT partnerships. Further, there was evidence of relationships between certain office/county demographics and IGM activity. The discovery of these patterns and relationships can be used to aid policy and program development, as well as to stimulate deeper inquiry into the intergovernmental dimensions involved in protecting local elements of the U.S. Critical Digital Infrastructure.
The buckling of single-layer MoS2 under uniaxial compression

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the buckling of single-layer MoS2 under uniaxial compression. The strain rate is found to have an important effect on the critical buckling strain, where higher strain rate leads to larger critical strain. The critical strain is almost temperature-independent for T < 50 ? > K, and it increases with increasing temperature for T > 50 ? > K owing to the thermal vibration assisted healing mechanism on the buckling deformation. The length-dependence of the critical strain from our simulations is in good agreement with the prediction of the Euler buckling theory.
Exploring Online Engagement in Public Policy Consultation: The Crowd or the Few?

Governments are increasingly adopting online platforms to engage the public and allow a broad and diverse group of citizens to participate in the planning of government policies. To understand the role of crowds in the online public policy process, we analyse participant contributions over time in two crowd-based policy processes, the Future Melbourne wiki and the Open Government Dialogue. Although past evaluations have shown the significance of public consultations by expanding the engaged population within a short period of time, our empirical case studies suggest that a small number of participants contribute a disproportionate share of ideas and opinions. We discuss the implications of our initial examination for the future design of engagement platforms.