Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Carbon Dioxide Reduction by a Single-Atom Implanted Metal-Organic Framework.

Modular optimization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) was realized by incorporation of coordinatively unsaturated single atoms in a MOF matrix. The newly developed MOF can selectively capture and photoreduce CO2 with high efficiency under visible-light irradiation. Mechanistic investigation reveals that the presence of single Co atoms in the MOF can greatly boost the electron-hole separation efficiency in porphyrin units. Directional migration of photogenerated excitons from porphyrin to catalytic Co centers was witnessed, thereby achieving supply of long-lived electrons for the reduction of CO2 molecules adsorbed on Co centers. As a direct result, porphyrin MOF comprising atomically dispersed catalytic centers exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic conversion of CO2 , which is equivalent to a 3.13-fold improvement in CO evolution rate (200.6 μmol g-1 h-1 ) and a 5.93-fold enhancement in CH4 generation rate (36.67 μmol g-1 h-1 ) compared to the parent MOF.
Perioperative use of iloprost in cardiac surgery patients diagnosed with heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia‐reactive antibodies or with true HIT (HIT‐reactive antibodies plus thrombocytopenia): An 11‐year experience

Thrombocytopenia and thromboembolism(s) may develop in heparin immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia (HIT) patients after reexposure to heparin. At the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, 530 out of 17,000 patients requiring heart surgery over an 11‐year period underwent preoperative HIT assessment by ELISA and a three‐point heparin‐induced platelet aggregation assay (HIPAG). The screening identified 110 patients with HIT‐reactive antibodies, out of which 46 were also thrombocytopenic (true HIT). Cardiac surgery was performed in HIT‐positive patients under heparin anticoagulation and iloprost infusion. A control group of 118 HIT‐negative patients received heparin but no iloprost during surgery. For the first 20 patients, the dose of iloprost diminishing the HIPAG test to ≤5% was determined prior to surgery by in vitro titration using the patients’ own plasma and donor platelets. In parallel, the iloprost “target dose” was also established for each patient intraoperatively, but before heparin administration. Iloprost was infused initially at 3 ng/kg/mL and further adjusted intraoperatively, until ex vivo aggregation reached ≤5%. As a close correlation was observed between the “target dose” identified before surgery and that established intraoperatively, the remaining 90 patients were administered iloprost starting at the presurgery identified “target dose. ” This process significantly reduced the number of intraoperative HIPAG reassessments needed to determine the iloprost target dose, and reduced surgical time, while maintaining similar primary clinical outcomes to controls. Therefore, infusion of iloprost throughout surgery, under continuous titration, allows cardiac surgery to be undertaken safely using heparin, while avoiding life‐threatening iloprost‐induced hypotension in patients diagnosed with HIT‐reactive antibodies or true HIT. Am. J. Hematol. 90:608–617, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Size effects of potato waste on its treatment by microbial fuel cell

ABSTRACT The performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC) in treating potato cubes with different sizes (the edge size of 3, 5 and 7 mm) was investigated. Current density was found lower as the size of potato cubes increased, even if the differences in their removal were less apparent. At the end of MFC operation for 81 days, both total and soluble chemical oxygen demand reached nearly identical values, irrespective of the potato sizes; and citrate and isobutyrate were two major organic acids remaining in the solutions. Bacterial community analysis using polymerase chain reaction, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing indicated that bacterial species on the anode and in the anodic solution were similar and did not change obviously with potato sizes, and that, in similarity with previous studies on potato-processing wastewater treatment, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were two dominating phyla. Geobacter was found richer on the anode than in the anodic solutions.
Results of Partial Deafness Cochlear Implantation Using Various Electrode Designs

Nineteen adults and 9 children who received a unilateral cochlear implant between 2002 and 2007 were included in the study. All subjects were preoperatively diagnosed with significant residual hearing in low frequencies, termed as ‘partial deafness’, and were implanted according to a 6-step round window surgical technique for partial deafness cochlear implantation. Hearing was preserved to a great extent in the partial deafness cochlear implantation (PDCI) group. After a short period following activation of the cochlear implant, highly significant improvement in the recognition of monosyllabic words was observed. With a developed round window surgical procedure and limited electrode insertion, hearing can be preserved in the majority of patients with partial deafness. PDCI is a feasible means of treating individuals who have good low-frequency hearing but severe to profound hearing loss in the mid to high frequencies.
A 0.5V 4Mb logic-process compatible embedded resistive RAM (ReRAM) in 65nm CMOS using low-voltage current-mode sensing scheme with 45ns random read time

Numerous low-supply-voltage (VDD) mobile chips, such as energy-harvesting-powered devices and biomedical applications, require low-VDD on-chip nonvolatile memory (NVM) for low-power active-mode access and power-off data storage. However, conventional NVMs cannot achieve low-VDD operation due to insufficient write voltage generated by charge-pumped (CP) circuits at a low VDD, and a lack of low-VDD current-mode sense amplifiers (CSA) [1-4] to overcome read issues in reduced sensing margins, degraded speeds, and insufficient voltage headroom (VHR). Resistive RAM (ReRAM) [4-6] is a promising memory with the advantages of short write time, low write-voltage, and reduced write power compared to Flash and other NVMs. Using a low-VDD CP with relaxed output voltage/current requirements for write operations, ReRAM is a good candidate for on-chip low-VDD NVM if a low-VDD CSA is provided, particularly for frequent-read-seldom-write applications. We develop a body-drain-driven CSA (BDD-CSA) with dynamic BL bias voltage (VBL) and small VHR for larger sensing margins to achieve a lower VDDmin, faster read speed, and better tolerance of read cell current (ICELL) and BL leakage current (IBL-LEAK) variations compared to conventional CSAs. A fabricated 65nm 4Mb ReRAM macro using the BDD-CSA and our CMOS-logic-compatible ReRAM cell [7] achieves 0.5V VDDmin. The BDD-CSA achieves 0.32V VDDmin.
Substrate and electron donor limitation induce phenotypic heterogeneity in different metabolic activities in a green sulphur bacterium

Populations of genetically identical cells can display marked variation in phenotypic traits; such variation is termed phenotypic heterogeneity. Here, we investigate the effect of substrate and electron donor limitation on phenotypic heterogeneity in N2 and CO2 fixation in the green sulphur bacterium Chlorobium phaeobacteroides. We grew populations in chemostats and batch cultures and used stable isotope labelling combined with nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to quantify phenotypic heterogeneity. Experiments in H2 S (i.e. electron donor) limited chemostats show that varying levels of NH4+ limitation induce heterogeneity in N2 fixation. Comparison of phenotypic heterogeneity between chemostats and batch (unlimited for H2 S) populations indicates that electron donor limitation drives heterogeneity in N2 and CO2 fixation. Our results demonstrate that phenotypic heterogeneity in a certain metabolic activity can be driven by different modes of limitation and that heterogeneity can emerge in different metabolic processes upon the same mode of limitation. In conclusion, our data suggest that limitation is a general driver of phenotypic heterogeneity in microbial populations.
The BTB/POZ domain of the regulatory proteins Bric à brac 1 (BAB1) and Bric à brac 2 (BAB2) interacts with the novel Drosophila TAF(II) factor BIP2/dTAF(II)155.

The BTB/POZ domain is an evolutionarily conserved protein-protein interaction domain present in the N-terminal region of numerous transcription factors involved in development, chromatin remodeling, and human cancers. This domain is involved in homomeric and heteromeric associations with other BTB/POZ domains. The Drosophila BTB/POZ proteins Bric à brac 1 (BAB1) and Bric à brac 2 (BAB2) are developmentally regulated transcription factors which are involved in pattern formation along the proximo-distal axis of the leg and antenna, in the morphogenesis of the adult ovaries, and in the control of sexually dimorphic characters. We have identified partners of the BAB1 protein by using the two-hybrid system. The characterization of one of these proteins, called BIP2 for BAB Interacting Protein 2, is presented. BIP2 is a novel Drosophila TATA-box Protein Associated Factor (TAF(II)), also named dTAF(II)155. We show that the BTB/POZ domains of BAB1 and BAB2 are sufficient to mediate a direct interaction with BIP2/dTAF(II)155. This provides a direct link between these BTB/POZ transcription factors and the basal transcriptional machinery. We discuss the implications of the interaction between a BTB/POZ domain and a TAF(II) for the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional control mediated by BTB/POZ transcription factors.
Image Processing Framework for FPGAs - Introducing a Plug-and-play Computer Vision Framework for Fast Integration of Algorithms in Reconfigurable Hardware

This paper presents a framework for computer vision tasks on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) which allows rapid integration of vision algorithms by separating the framework from the vision algorithms. A vision system can be created by using plug-and-play methodology. On an abstract level several input and output channels of the system can be defined. Also, commonly used image transformations are modularized and can be added to the inputs or outputs of an algorithm. Special input and output modules allow the integration of algorithms with no knowledge of the surrounding framework.
Retinoic acid regulates Fas‐induced apoptosis in Jurkat T cells: reversal of mitogen‐mediated repression of Fas DISC assembly

The effect of the immune regulator vitamin A on T cell death has been poorly characterized. In the present study, we demonstrate that an active metabolite of vitamin A, retinoic acid (RA), promotes cell death in Jurkat leukemic T cells by counteracting mitogen‐mediated repression of Fas‐induced apoptosis. The effect of RA was dose‐dependent, and at the optimal concentration of 1 μM, repression of Fas‐induced cell death by the mitogens 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol 13‐acetate (TPA) or Con A was reversed by ∼50% and 30%, respectively. RA promoted apoptosis rather than necrosis, as judged by analysis of cell morphology, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, and DNA fragmentation. TPA‐mediated protection from Fas‐induced apoptosis is dependent on ERK and NF‐κB. However, analyses of ERK and NF‐κB activities and expression of target genes indicated that RA‐mediated counteraction of the protective effect of TPA did not involve negative crosstalk with ERK or NF‐κB survival pathways. RA‐induced cell death was accompanied by enhanced cleavage of procaspase‐3, ‐6, and ‐8, as well as enhanced cleavage of DNA fragmentation factor 45. Interestingly, RA‐mediated cleavage of procaspase‐8 occurred very early and before any effect of RA could be detected on procaspase‐3 cleavage, suggesting that RA might act at the level of the Fas death‐inducing signaling complex (DISC). Indeed, DISC immunoprecipitation studies revealed that RA treatment reversed the inhibitory effect of TPA on CH11‐induced recruitment and processing of procaspase‐8 at the DISC. In conclusion, we have identified a role of RA in abrogating mitogen‐mediated repression of Fas DISC assembly, thus enhancing Fas‐induced apoptosis in leukemic T cells.
Depth assisted person following robots

This paper presents a person following robot equipped a RGB-D imaging sensor. We introduce three modules of a visual target tracking, target detection, and robot control. For the tracking module, distracters existing near-by the target are explicitly tracked to support target tracking. Preliminary tests showed that the robot robustly follows the target in uncontrolled environment with cluttered background and uneven illumination.
Low Complexity Receivers for Coherent Amplify-and-Forward Cooperative Systems

Low complexity receivers for coherent amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperative diversity systems are developed. According to the availability of phase information at the relays and the destination, repetition-based and spectral-efficient distributed equal gain combining (DEGC) schemes are developed. In the former scheme, relays transmit over separate orthogonal subchannels, whereas in the latter scheme all relays transmit simultaneously. Analytical expressions for evaluation of the average output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and symbol error probability are derived and it is demonstrated that these schemes achieve full spatial diversity. In addition, upper and lower bounds on the ergodic capacity are obtained. The upper bound is tight in small-SNR regions whereas the lower bound is accurate for sufficiently large values of SNR. It is shown that the spectral-efficient DEGC scheme outperforms the repetition-based DEGC scheme especially by increasing the number of relays. The impact of combining loss on the performance of the proposed schemes is also studied. The average output SNR expression can be used as a simple theoretical tool for choosing the best number of relays that avoids the combining loss.
Pharmacotherapy alone vs endoscopic variceal ligation combination for secondary prevention of oesophageal variceal bleeding: meta‐analysis

To the Editor: Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and non-selective beta-blocker combination therapy is recommended for secondary prevention of oesophageal variceal bleeding by American Association of Study for the Liver Diseases guideline (1). This is based on reports that combination is superior to EVL alone. However, there are little data for comparison between pharmacotherapy alone and combination for this purpose. Recently published meta-analysis suggested that combination of endoscopic and pharmacotherapy was superior to pharmacotherapy alone (2, 3). However, these analyses included endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and EIS has been nearly completely replaced by EVL as a choice of preventing variceal rebleeding. Furthermore, pure comparison of EVL–pharmacotherapy combination and pharmacotherapy was limited as form of abstract. We performed meta-analysis of randomized trials to determine whether combination therapy is superior to pharmacotherapy for the prevention of oesophageal variceal rebleeding. We performed literature searches of the Pubmed and Cochrane central database up to December 2010 by using the key terms rebleeding, esophageal varices, adrenergic-beta-antagonists, beta-blockers, endoscopy therapy and band ligation. We selected randomized controlled trial (RCT) for comparison of pharmacotherapy (non-selective beta-blocker) alone vs combination therapy (EVL and non-selective beta-blocker) for secondary prevention of oesophageal varix bleeding. Primary end point was overall rebleeding and mortality. Secondary end point was oesophageal variceal
Effect of the Protein Matrix of Cytochrome c in Suppressing the Inherent Peroxidase Activity of Its Heme Prosthetic Group

Free heme is a potent peroxidase; it readily reacts with H2O2 and is then capable of a wide variety of oxidation reactions. The heme group of cytochrome c (cytc) can be expected to be an equally competent producer of free radicals, but its intrinsic peroxidase activity is suppressed by the protein matrix. This is of vital importance to the living cell because free radicals derived from oxygen play a key role in aging and its pathophysiology. Herein, we quantify the suppression of the inherent peroxidase activity of heme by the protein matrix of cytc. We show that the peroxidase activity of unfolded cytc is similar to that of microperoxidase-8 (MP-8). The protein used here is the well-studied cytochrome c-550 (cytc550) from Paracoccus versutus. Its peroxidase activity has been characterized. It is a Class I cytc, closely related both to the archetypal mitochondrial cytc proteins, and to numerous other, bacterial c-type cytochromes. Addition of the common denaturing agent guanidinium hydrochloride (Gdn ́ HCl) to ferricytc550 causes the protein to unfold, as was observed by using the following indicators (Figure 1). In Figure 1 A, the tryptophan fluorescence is plotted as a function of Gdn ́ HCl concentration. Unfolding causes the structure of cytc550 to expand and leads to an increased average distance between its tryptophan residues and the covalently bound heme group. This results in a less efficient energy transfer from the tryptophan residues to the heme moiety, and consequently the tryptophan fluorescence increases upon unfolding. Secondly, unfolding leads to changes in the optical spectrum. The dominant effect is a transition of the heme iron center from low spin to high spin, caused by the loss of the native methionine ligand (Figure 1 B). 10] Finally, Figure 1 C demonstrates that an increase in Gdn ́ HCl concentration causes the peroxidase activity of cytc550 to rise dramatically (about 1200-fold). No such activity is seen when any of the components (Gdn ́ HCl, cytc550, H2O2, or the reducing substrate, guaiacol (gc)) are left out of the reaction mixture. The activity better insight into sequence ± structure ± function relationships. Cumulative substitutions of the various functional groups tested here would be one experimental approach. Crystallization of those complexes that largely deviate from the theoretical modeling could be another goal.
Toll-Like Receptor Responses in IRAK-4-Deficient Neutrophils

Human neutrophils were found to express all known Toll-like receptors (TLRs) except TLR3 and TLR7. IRAK-4-deficient neutrophils were tested for their responsiveness to various TLR ligands. Essentially all TLR responses in neutrophils, including the induction of reactive oxygen species generation, adhesion, chemotaxis and IL-8 secretion, were found to be dependent on IRAK-4. Surprisingly, the reactivity towards certain established TLR ligands, imiquimod and ODN-CpG, was unaffected by IRAK-4 deficiency, demonstrating their activity is independent of TLR. TLR-4-dependent signaling in neutrophils was totally dependent on IRAK-4 without any major TRIF-mediated contribution. We did not observe any defects in killing capacity of IRAK-4-deficient neutrophils for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, suggesting that microbial killing is primarily TLR independent.
Impact of extracellular alkalinization on the survival of human CD24-/CD44+ breast cancer stem cells associated with cellular metabolic shifts

Cancer stem cells reside in a distinct region within the tumor microenvironment that it is believed to play a fundamental role in regulating stemness, proliferation, survival, and metabolism of cancer cells. This study aimed to analyze the effect of extracellular alkalinization on metabolism and survival of human CD24-/CD44+ breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). BCSCs were cultured in alkalinized DMEM-F12 and incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2, and 20% O2 for 30 min, 6, 24, and 48 h. After each incubation period, we analyzed the modulation of various mRNA expressions related to pH and cellular metabolic regulation using the qRT-PCR. Metabolic state was measured using colorimetric and fluorometric assays. To examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, we used trypan blue and annexin V/propidium iodide assay, respectively. This study demonstrated that alkalinization could stimulate extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CAe) activity, as well as CA9 and HIF1α expression. Under alkaline pH and HIF1α regulation, glucose consumption, extracellular lactate production, and LDH activity of BCSCs were upregulated while O2 consumption was downregulated. These metabolic shifts seemed to promote apoptosis and suppress the proliferation of BCSCs. To conclude, modulation of the extracellular environment through alkalinization could change the metabolic states of BCSCs, which in turn affect the cell survival.
Skeletal muscle substrate metabolism during exercise: methodological considerations

The aim of the present article is to evaluate critically the various methods employed in studies designed to quantify precisely skeletal muscle substrate utilization during exercise. In general, the pattern of substrate utilization during exercise can be described well from O2 uptake measurements and the respiratory exchange ratio. However, if the aim is to quantify limb or muscle metabolism, invasive measurements have to be carried out, such as the determination of blood flow, arterio-venous (a-v) difference measurements for O2 and relevant substrates, and biopsies of the active muscle. As many substrates and metabolites may be both taken up and released by muscle at rest and during exercise, isotopes can be used to determine uptake and/or release and also fractional uptake can be accounted for. Furthermore, the use of isotopes opens up further possibilities for the estimation of oxidation rates of various substrates. There are several methodological concerns to be aware of when studying the metabolic response to exercise in human subjects. These concerns include: (1) the muscle mass involved in the exercise is largely unknown (bicycle or treadmill). Moreover, whether the muscle sample obtained from a limb muscle and the substrate and metabolite concentrations are representative can be a problem; (2) the placement of the venous catheter can be critical, and it should be secured so that the blood sample represents blood from the active muscle with a minimum of contamination from other muscles and tissues; (3) the use of net limb glycerol release to estimate lipolysis is probably not valid (triacylglycerol utilization by muscle), since glycerol can be metabolized in skeletal muscle; (4) the precision of blood-borne substrate concentrations during exercise measured by a-v difference is hampered since they become very small due to the high blood flow. Recommendations are given in order to obtain more quantitative and conclusive data in studies investigating the regulatory mechanisms for substrate choice by muscle.
Dry Sliding Friction and Wear Study of the Worn Surface of Cu-based Powder Metallurgy Train Brake Materials

The characteristics of the worn surface of Cu-based powder metallurgy brake materials for trains after undergoing dry sliding working conditions were studied. A high pressure pad-on-disc tester was developed for this study. Three forms of wear mechanisms were observed during the process, namely; delamination, plowing, and abrasive. These wear mechanisms were found to be responsible for a high wear rate on samples sintered at 850 o C and 900 o C. The results showed that the main components of the worn surface are graphite, SO2, Fe, Cu and oxides of Fe and Cu (Fe203 and CuO) and AlFe. The samples were observed to be sensitive to sintering temperature. The samples sintered at high temperature experienced lower rate of wear compared to low temperature sintered samples. The worn surfaces were characterized as: destructive, medium, and low.
Measuring Positive Emotionality: A Review of Instruments Assessing Love

Love is a multidimensional construct that has proven difficult to define and, consequently, challenging to measure. A variety of available instruments purport to measure aspects of love, 9 of which are reviewed and discussed in this article. Researchers and practitioners are advised to study definitions of the love construct as well as psychometric properties of instruments in selecting measures of love appropriate to their purposes.