Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of irregular graphene oxide tubes using green chemistry and their potential use as reinforcement materials for biomedical applications

Micrometer length tubes of graphene oxide (GO) with irregular form were synthesised following facile and green metal complexation reactions. These materials were obtained by crosslinking of GO with calcium, zinc or strontium chlorides at three different temperatures (24, 34 and 55°C) using distilled water as solvent for the compounds and following a remarkably simple and low-cost synthetic method, which employs no hazardous substances and is conducted without consumption of thermal or sonic energy. These irregular continuous GO networks showed a very particular interconnected structure by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Disperse X-Ray Spectroscopy for elemental analysis and High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy with Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope Dark Field Imaging, and were analysed by Raman Spectroscopy. To demonstrate the potential use of these 3D GO networks as reinforcement materials for biomedical applications, two composites of calcium alginate with irregular tubes of GO and with single GO nanosheets were prepared with the same amount of GO and divalent atoms and analysed. Thus, the dynamic-mechanical modulus of the composites synthesised with the 3D crosslinked GO networks showed a very significant mechanical improvement due to marked microstructural changes confirmed by confocal microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Limited reproducibility of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Abstract Results of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) including average blood pressure, variability, and nocturnal dipping are considered the gold standard for diagnosis and the best predictor of the future end organ damage in chronic hypertension. Here we report on the reproducibility of ABPM results for these three measures over a period of months. A total of 35 hypertensive patients (43% female, mean age 64 years), underwent two separate ABPM recordings within 14 weeks, with unchanged medical treatment and lifestyle in the interim. The day and night average blood pressure, dipping status of systolic pressure, and the standard deviation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure as a measure of variability were compared between the two recordings. Individual values for average systolic and diastolic pressures showed only a modest correlation between the two measurements (r = 0.56, r = 0.81, p < 0.01). Standard deviations of 24-h pressure were also positively but weakly correlated (r = 0.4, p < 0.001). The occurrence of dipping was reproducible in 71% of the patients. Average blood pressure, pressure variability, and dipping as assessed by ABPM are only moderately reproducible. Clinical decision-making based on single ABPM datasets should be made with caution, and repetition of ABPM seems justified in some cases.
Purification of large plasmids with methacrylate monolithic columns.

The rapid evolution of gene therapy and DNA vaccines results in an increasing interest in producing large quantities of pharmaceutical grade plasmid DNA. Most current clinical trials involve plasmids of 10 kb or smaller in size, however, future requirements for multigene vectors including extensive control regions may require the production of larger plasmids, e. g. , 20 kb and bigger. The objective of this study was to examine certain process conditions for purification of large plasmids with the size of up to 93 kb. Since there is a lack of knowledge about production and purification of bigger plasmid DNA, cell lysis and storage conditions were investigated. The impact of chromatographic system and methacrylate monolithic column on the degradation of plasmid molecules under nonbinding conditions at different flow rates was studied. Furthermore, capacity measurements varying salt concentration in loading buffer were performed and the capacities up to 13 mg of plasmid per mL of the monolithic column were obtained. The capacity flow independence in the range from 130 to 370 cm/h was observed. Using high resolution monolithic column the separation of linear and supercoiled isoforms of large plasmids was obtained. Last but not least, since the baseline separation of RNA and pDNA was achieved, the one step purification on larger CIM DEAE 8 mL tube monolithic column was performed and the fractions were analyzed by CIM analytical monolithic columns.
A two dimensional electromechanical model of a cardiomyocyte to assess intra-cellular regional mechanical heterogeneities

Experimental studies on isolated cardiomyocytes from different animal species and human hearts have demonstrated that there are regional differences in the Ca2+ release, Ca2+ decay and sarcomere deformation. Local deformation heterogeneities can occur due to a combination of factors: regional/local differences in Ca2+ release and/or re-uptake, intra-cellular material properties, sarcomere proteins and distribution of the intracellular organelles. To investigate the possible causes of these heterogeneities, we developed a two-dimensional finite-element electromechanical model of a cardiomyocyte that takes into account the experimentally measured local deformation and cytosolic [Ca2+] to locally define the different variables of the constitutive equations describing the electro/mechanical behaviour of the cell. Then, the model was individualised to three different rat cardiac cells. The local [Ca2+] transients were used to define the [Ca2+]-dependent activation functions. The cell-specific local Young’s moduli were estimated by solving an inverse problem, minimizing the error between the measured and simulated local deformations along the longitudinal axis of the cell. We found that heterogeneities in the deformation during contraction were determined mainly by the local elasticity rather than the local amount of Ca2+, while in the relaxation phase deformation was mainly influenced by Ca2+ re-uptake. Our electromechanical model was able to successfully estimate the local elasticity along the longitudinal direction in three different cells. In conclusion, our proposed model seems to be a good approximation to assess the heterogeneous intracellular mechanical properties to help in the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of cardiomyocyte dysfunction.
Effects of ginsenoside Rh2 on growth and migration of pancreatic cancer cells.

AIM To investigate the effects of ginsenoside Rh2 on the human pancreatic cancer cell line Bxpc-3. METHODS The human pancreatic cancer cell line Bxpc-3 was cultured in vitro and treated with or without ginsenoside Rh2. Growth rates for Bxpc-3 cells were assessed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and colony formation assays. Cell cycle changes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry and Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining. A scratch assay and a Matrigel invasion assay were used to detect cell migration and invasion. Expression of Bax, Bcl-2, survivin, cyclin D1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, cleaved caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 mRNA were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Bax, Bcl-2, survivin, cyclin D1, cleaved caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 protein levels were examined by western blotting. Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteins in culture supernatants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS Rh2 significantly inhibited Bxpc-3 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as evaluated by the MTT (P < 0.05) and colony formation assays (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, Rh2 significantly increased the percentage of Bxpc-3 cells in the G0/G1 phase from 43.32% ± 2.17% to 71.32% ± 1.16%, which was accompanied by a decrease in S phase (from 50.86% ± 1.29% to 28.48% ± 1.18%) and G2/M phase (from 5.81% ± 1.19% to 0.20% ± 0.05%) in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), suggesting that Rh2 arrested cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phase, as measured by flow cytometry. Compared to the control group, cells treated with Rh2 showed significantly higher apoptosis ratios in a dose-dependent manner (percentage of early apoptotic cells: from 5.29% ± 2.28% to 38.90% ± 3.42% (F = 56.20, P < 0.05); percentage of late apoptotic cells: from 4.58% ± 1.42% to 36.32% ± 2.73% (F = 86.70, P < 0.05). Rh2 inhibited Bxpc-3 cell migration and invasion, as detected by scratch wound healing assay and Matrigel invasion assay [percentages of scratch wound healing for 12 h, 24 h and 48 h (control vs experimental group): 37.3% ± 4.8% vs 18.30% ± 1.65%, 58.7% ± 3.5% vs 38.00% ± 4.09% and 93.83% ± 4.65% vs 65.50% ± 4.09%, respectively; t = 6.489, t = 6.656 and t = 7.926, respectively, P < 0.05; the number of cells invading at various concentrations (0 μmol/L, 35 μmol/L, 45 μmol/L and 55 μmol/L): 81.10 ± 9.55, 46.40 ± 6.95, 24.70 ± 6.88 and 8.70 ± 3.34, respectively (F = 502.713, P < 0.05)]. RT-PCR, western blotting or ELISA showed that mRNA and protein expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9 were upregulated (P < 0.05), while mRNA and protein expression of Bcl-2, survivin, cyclin D1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were downregulated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Ginsenoside Rh2 inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion and induces apoptosis of the human pancreatic cancer cell line Bxpc-3.
Virtualization of Remote Devices and Services in Residential Networks

Lately solutions for remote access for residential services have been proposed. However, these solutions require modifications to the service controllers. In addition, remote access adds complexity to the client application. We propose here a solution for decoupling remote access from the client itself with an entity that creates virtual instances of remote services in a local network. Thereby, clients will be able to discover the virtual instance and use it. Moreover, client applications do not need to distinguish between local and remote services hence reducing complexity.
The Impact of Innovation Climate & Job Satisfaction on Corporate Entrepreneurship

This study verified corporate entrepreneurship, innovation climate and Job satisfaction (person-job fit, Salary Benefit) as the research framework. Through a literature review, we examined causal relationship among these variables. The climate for innovation is demonstrated by team unity, administrative encouragement, resources, independence, as well as openness to innovation. Recent studies have showed a lack of research in conventional mechanized firms on innovative climate. The relationship model was examined with regression analysis, and all hypotheses established support. This result implied that climate for the innovation enhanced corporate entrepreneurship.
Observations on the distribution of catechol amines and adenosinetriphosphate in the bovine adrenal medulla

In recent years much new information has accumulated on the storage of the biologically active amines. Adrenaline and noradrenaline, histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine are stored in cytoplasmic granules. It is from these stores that the amines are released when they appear in the tissue fluids. It has been shown for both histamine (Hagen, 1954 a) and the catechol amines (Blaschko, Hagen & Welch, 1955) that the storage granules, when injected fresh into the circulation of the cat, contain the amines in a form in which they do not immediately exert their full biological effect. However, treatment of the granules with distilled water makes the amines fully available. In other words, the granules behave as if they were surrounded by semipermeable membranes with osmotic properties similar to those of the cell membrane. This simple picture does not fully account for the high concentration of catechol amines which are present in some of the cytoplasmic granules of the chromaffin cell. If the amines were present in aqueous solution, an osmotic disequilibrium between the granules rich in catechol amines and the tissue fluids would exist. However, this apparent disequilibrium is maintained under conditions where there appears to be no supply of energy, and the amines in the cytoplasmic granules may be held by ionic forces (see Blaschko et al. 1955). A knowledge of the chemical composition of the granules is therefore important. Information on the chemistry of the chromaffin granules has been accumulated by Hillarp & Nilson (1954) who showed that the granules are rich in phospholipids. Hillarp, Hogberg & Nilson (1955) have since reported the occurrence in the bovine adrenal medulla of high concentrations of adenosinetriphosphate (ATP); according to these authors the ATP is present in granules.
Affective dysfunction in a mouse model of Rett syndrome: Therapeutic effects of environmental stimulation and physical activity

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with mutations in the X‐linked gene encoding methyl‐CpG‐binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and consequent dysregulation of brain maturation. Patients suffer from a range of debilitating physical symptoms, however, behavioral and emotional symptoms also severely affect their quality of life. Here, we present previously unreported and clinically relevant affective dysfunction in the female heterozygous Mecp2tm1Tam mouse model of RTT (129sv and C57BL6 mixed background). The affective dysfunction and aberrant anxiety‐related behavior of the Mecp2+/− mice were found to be reversible with environmental enrichment (EE) from 4 weeks of age. The effect of exercise alone (via wheel running) was also explored, providing the first evidence that increased voluntary physical activity in an animal model of RTT is beneficial for some phenotypes. Mecp2+/− mutants displayed elevated corticosterone despite decreased Crh expression, demonstrating hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation. EE of Mecp2+/− mice normalized basal serum corticosterone and hippocampal BDNF protein levels. The enrichment‐induced rescue appears independent of the transcriptional regulation of the MeCP2 targets Bdnf exon 4 and Crh. These findings provide new insight into the neurodevelopmental role of MeCP2 and pathogenesis of RTT, in particular the affective dysfunction. The positive outcomes of environmental stimulation and physical exercise have implications for the development of therapies targeting the affective symptoms, as well as behavioral and cognitive dimensions, of this devastating neurodevelopmental disorder. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 209–224, 2016
Economic generation direction for power system static voltage stability

This paper compares various generation direction methods in static voltage stability study in power systems. A new approach, namely economic generation direction (EGD) approach, is proposed to find the generation direction that minimizes the total operating cost. The proposed method is compared with conventional and the most recent generation direction methods, namely maximum loading margin and optimal generation direction methods, in terms of voltage stability margin and total operating cost. PV curve, loading margin and total operating cost are compared in the modified IEEE 14-bus test system. The study provides an idea for independent system operator about what kind of generation directions could be adopted in different power system scenario
GENETIC DEFECTS OF COLLAGEN XI

Collagen XI is a minor component of articular cartilage collagen fibrils together with collagen IX. They are in close functional relationship with the major cartilage collagen II. Collagen XI has been suggested to play a role in regulating the diameter of collagen II fibrils. Together these collagens form a supportive framework in the extracellular matrix. Besides articular cartilage, these three collagens can also be found in the vitreous body of the eye, the intervertebral disc, the inner ear and in various tissues during embryonic development. As the major cartilage collagen, collagen II has been studied quite extensively. Several syndromes ranging from lethal to milder ones have been shown to result from collagen II gene defects. Far less is known about defects in genes coding for the minor cartilage collagens, IX and XI. By identifying mutations in the coding genes and observing the resulting phenotypes, the function and importance of these genes start to unravel. The goal of this study was to provide more information about collagen XI. As a quantatively minor cartilage component, it is a good candidate for mild disease phenotypes. Collagen XI gene mutations have been shown to cause relatively mild phenotypes, such as Stickler and Marshall syndromes and non-syndromic hearing loss. Seven families with a recessive chondrodysplasia, otospondylomegaepiphyseal dysplasia (OSMED), were analysed for mutations in COL11A2. This study showed that OSMED is typically caused by the absence of the α2(XI) chains. Sixty-two patients with isolated Robin sequence, cleft palate or micrognathia were analysed for COL11A2 gene mutations. Six unique nucleotide changes were found that are likely to associate with the phenotype. The results showed that collagen XI gene defects can play a role in the etiology of oral clefting, but are not common causes of these phenotypes. Altogether 72 unrelated osteoarthrosis (OA) patients and one family with OA were analysed for mutations in genes coding for collagens II, IX and XI. Eighteen percent of them were found to have a unique sequence variation. An association analysis of OA patients failed to reveal any common predisposing alleles in these genes.
Estimate of driver's fatigue through steering motion

This paper discusses the method to estimate a driver's fatigue through steering motion. Several methods are known to estimate driver's fatigue. In this research, the chaos theory was applied to explain the change of steering wheel motion. If there is chaos in the motion, a strange trajectory called attractor can be found by applying the Takens' theory of embedding. Experiments were conducted on a driving simulator. Steering wheel angle signals were processed first by fast Fourier transform (FFT) and also by the wavelet transform to determine which is better. Then attractor was plotted to find out the chaos characteristics, which can indicate that a driver is fired of driving and he/she may feel fatigue.
Patterned dynamics of delay-coupled swarms with random communication graphs

Swarm and modular robotics are an emerging area in control of autonomous systems. However, coordinating a large group of interacting autonomous agents requires careful consideration of the logistical issues involved. In particular, inter-agent communication generally involves time delay, and bandwidth restrictions limit the number of neighbors with which each agent in the swarm can communicate. In this paper, we analyze coherent pattern dynamics of groups of delay-coupled agents, where the communication network is an Erdös-Renyi graph. We show that overall motion patterns for a globally-coupled swarm persist under decreasing network connectivity, and derive the bifurcation structure scaling relations for the emergence of different swarming behaviors as a function of the average network degree. We show excellent agreement between the theoretical scaling results and numerical simulations.
The psychometric characteristics of an assessment instrument for perceived harmfulness in adolescents with musculoskeletal pain (PHODA‐youth)

Cognitive–behavioural models of chronic pain predict that dysfunctional assumptions about harmfulness of activities may maintain pain‐related fear and disability. To assess perceived harmfulness in adolescents, the Photograph Series of Daily Activities for youth (PHODA‐youth) was developed. Information concerning its methodological quality is currently lacking.
The anxiety levels in Polish hospital nurses experiencing various emotional disturbances

__________________________________________________________________________ Introduction: Nurses experiencing a high level of anxiety have an impaired capability of coping with dangerous situations which require long-term effort. Purpose: The objective of the present study was to determine the relationship between the level of anxiety, satisfaction with life, style coping with stress, and personal and environmental factors, such as: age, material status, education and place of residence of participants. Materials and methods: The study included 113 women working as nurses, employed by the hospital of Medical University of Gdansk. The methods used to gather the data were: Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) by Wrześniewski et al., Scale of Satisfaction with Life by Juczyński, and The Miller Behavioural Style Scale by Miller. Results: In the group of nurses experiencing various emotional disturbances, the level of anxiety as a state exceeded the normal limits. The place of residence of study participants determined the anxiety level as a state. The general increase of the anxiety level confirmed that the perceived satisfaction with professional life decreased. Conclusions: The study showed that in case of Polish hospital nurses, personal and environmental factors such as: age, material status, education level and place of residence, have influence on response to stress factors and the choice of style coping with stress. In order to reduce professional-related stress there is the need to implement organizational changes. The nurses should receive psychological and social support in the form of care given by the co-workers, attend courses preparing them to cope with work-related stress and their own negative emotions, learn the principles of assertiveness and styles of coping with difficult situations.
Using ZINC to Acquire a Virtual Screening Library

The ZINC database of commercially available compounds contains biologically relevant representations of purchasable compounds in ready‐to‐screen formats. ZINC uses catalogs from over 50 compound vendors, changing from time to time to reflect newly available compounds and depleted stock. ZINC is available in subsets that reflect current opinion in the field such as “fragment‐like” and “lead‐like,” and has a facility to create additional small ad hoc subsets. ZINC has a search facility, as well as a service to process molecules that are not in ZINC by uploading them to a server. Curr. Protoc. Bioinform. 22:14.6. 1–14.6. 23. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Imaging enzyme activity with polarization‐sensitive confocal fluorescence microscopy

We describe a technique for imaging enzyme activity through steady‐state fluorescence anisotropy measurements on a per‐pixel basis with a confocal microscope. With this method, enzyme activity is reported by changes in the fluorescence anisotropy of a fluorescently labelled substrate. Enzymatic cleavage of the substrate yields smaller labelled fragments that tumble more readily than the intact substrate and therefore yield a lower anisotropy. Anisotropy is recovered to an accuracy of 7% or better on and off the optical axis to depths of 210 µm using objective numerical apertures as high as 0.75. Enzyme imaging experiments were performed with Bodipy‐FL‐labelled bovine serum albumin (BSA) attached to sepharose beads as a substrate for trypsin and proteinase K. Anisotropy images acquired up to 1 h after enzyme addition revealed more rapid digestion of BSA with proteinase K than with trypsin, but in both cases anisotropy decreased by at least five‐fold. Fluorescence lifetime and time‐resolved anisotropy decay measurements were made on the construct in fluid solution to reveal the effects of enzyme activity. The Bodipy‐FL lifetime increased from 1.34 ns for the construct without enzyme to 5.98 ns after 1 h in the presence of proteinase K. Anisotropy decays yielded average rotational correlation times of 1.13 ns before enzymatic action and 0.27 ns after enzymatic action, consistent with the presence of smaller Bodipy‐containing protein fragments. These results suggest wide applicability of the technique in biological systems when used in conjunction with appropriately designed constructs.