Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro selection of a sodium-specific DNAzyme and its application in intracellular sensing

Significance Monovalent ions, such as Na+, play important roles in biology, yet few sensors that image intracellular Na+ have been reported. Although deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) have been shown to be a promising platform for detection of metal ions, most reported DNAzymes require multivalent metal ions for catalytic activity. Existing monovalent ion-responsive DNAzymes have poor selectivity for Na+, low catalytic rate, and require high ion concentrations for function. Here, we report in vitro selection of the first (to our knowledge) highly selective, sensitive, and efficient Na+-specific, RNA-cleaving DNAzyme and its conversion into a catalytic beacon sensor for imaging Na+ in living cells, using an efficient cationic polypeptide delivery method, together with a photocaging strategy, to allow controllable activation of the DNAzyme probe inside cells. Over the past two decades, enormous progress has been made in designing fluorescent sensors or probes for divalent metal ions. In contrast, the development of fluorescent sensors for monovalent metal ions, such as sodium (Na+), has remained underdeveloped, even though Na+ is one the most abundant metal ions in biological systems and plays a critical role in many biological processes. Here, we report the in vitro selection of the first (to our knowledge) Na+-specific, RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme (DNAzyme) with a fast catalytic rate [observed rate constant (kobs) ∼0.1 min−1], and the transformation of this DNAzyme into a fluorescent sensor for Na+ by labeling the enzyme strand with a quencher at the 3′ end, and the DNA substrate strand with a fluorophore and a quencher at the 5′ and 3′ ends, respectively. The presence of Na+ catalyzed cleavage of the substrate strand at an internal ribonucleotide adenosine (rA) site, resulting in release of the fluorophore from its quenchers and thus a significant increase in fluorescence signal. The sensor displays a remarkable selectivity (>10,000-fold) for Na+ over competing metal ions and has a detection limit of 135 µM (3.1 ppm). Furthermore, we demonstrate that this DNAzyme-based sensor can readily enter cells with the aid of α-helical cationic polypeptides. Finally, by protecting the cleavage site of the Na+-specific DNAzyme with a photolabile o-nitrobenzyl group, we achieved controlled activation of the sensor after DNAzyme delivery into cells. Together, these results demonstrate that such a DNAzyme-based sensor provides a promising platform for detection and quantification of Na+ in living cells.
OMA of GFRP Retrofitted Model Concrete Structure Using Ambient Vibration

Nowadays, there are a great number of various structures that have been retrofitted by using different FRP Composites (AFRP, BFRP, CFRP, GFRP, etc.). Due to this, more researches need to be conducted to know more the dynamic characteristics of these structures, not only that but also a comparison among them before and after the retrofitting is needed. In this study, a model concrete structure is tested using ambient vibration data, in order to get the dynamic behaviors. Slab of the model concrete structure are then retrofitted by using GFRP composite, and then tested by using the ambient vibration data. At this stage, it is needed to evaluate the dynamic behaviors (frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratios) of the retrofitted model concrete structure. Various types of methods of OMA, such as FDD, EFDD, SSI, etc. are used to take action in the ambient responses. Having a purpose to learn more about the effects of FRP composite, experimental model analysis of both types (retrofitted and no-retrofitted models) is conducted to evaluate their dynamic behaviors. There is a provision of ambient excitation to the structure by using ambient vibration data on ground level. Furthermore, the Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition is used through output-only modal identification. At the end of this study, moderate correlation is obtained between mode shapes, periods and damping ratios. The aim of this research is to show and determine the effects of GFRP Composite implementation on structural responses of the model concrete structure, in terms of changing its dynamical behaviors. The frequencies for model concrete structure and the retrofitted model concrete structure are shown to be 11.41% in average difference. Finally, it is shown that, in order to evaluate the period and rigidity of retrofitted structures, OMA might be used.
Study of Biofilm Formation in C57Bl/6J Mice by Clinical Isolates of Helicobacter pylori

Background/Aim: Despite the significant number of studies on H. pylori pathogenesis, not much data has been published concerning its ability to form biofilm in the host stomach. This study aims to evaluate the potential of clinical isolates of H. pylori to form biofilm in C57BL/6J mice model. Materials and Methods: Two strains of H. pylori were selected from a collection of clinical isolates; one (19B), an efficient biofilm producer and the other (4B), with weak biofilm-forming ability. Mice infected through gastric avages were examined after one and two weeks. Colonization was determined by CFU and urease activity; the anti-H. pylori IgA was measured by ELISA, and chronic infections were evaluated by histopathology. Bacterial communities within mucosal sections were studied by immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: Successful infection was obtained by both test strains. Strain 19B with higher ability to form biofilm in vitro also showed a higher colonization rate in the mice stomach one week after infection. Difference (P < 0.05) in IgA titers was observed between the infected mice and the controls as well as between 19B and 4B infected mice, two weeks after the last challenge. Immunofluorescence and SEM results showed tightly colonizing H. pylori in stomach mucosal sections and in squamous and glandular epithelium. Conclusion: H. pylori is able to form biofilm in the mouse stomach and induce IgA production, reflecting the same potential as in humans. Firm attachment of coccoid form bacteria to host cells suggests the importance of this state in biofilm formation by H. pylori. Occurrence of biofilm in squamous and glandular epithelium of the mouse stomach proposes that H. pylori can all parts of the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Compiler transformations for effectively exploiting a zero overhead loop buffer

A Zero Overhead Loop Buffer (ZOLB) is an architectural feature that is commonly found in DSP processors. This buffer can be viewed as a compiler managed cache that contains a sequence of instructions that will be executed a specified number of times without incurring any loop overhead. Unlike loop unrolling, a loop buffer can be used to minimize loop overhead without the penalty of increasing code size. In addition, a ZOLB requires relatively little space and power, which are both important considerations for most DSP applications. This paper describes strategies for generating code to effectively use a ZOLB. We have found that many common code improving transformations used by optimizing compilers on conventional architectures can be easily used to (1) allow more loops to be placed in a ZOLB, (2) further reduce loop overhead of the loops placed in a ZOLB, and (3) avoid redundant loading of ZOLB loops. The results given in this paper demonstrate that this architectural feature can often be exploited with substantial improvements in execution time and slight reductions in code size for various signal processing applications. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
3D scene reconstruction from multi-aperture images

With the development of virtual reality, there is a growing demand for 3D modeling of real scenes. This paper proposes a novel 3D scene reconstruction framework based on multi-aperture images. Our framework consists of four parts. Firstly, images with different apertures are captured via programmable aperture. Secondly, we use SIFT method for feature point matching. Then we exploit binocular stereo vision to calculate camera parameters and 3D positions of matching points, forming a sparse 3D scene model. Finally, we apply patch-based multi-view stereo to obtain a dense 3D scene model. Experimental results show that our method is practical and effective to reconstruct dense 3D scene.
Recognizing and managing a deteriorating patient: a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of clinical simulation in improving clinical performance in undergraduate nursing students.

AIMS To report the results of a randomized controlled trial which explored the effectiveness of clinical simulation in improving the clinical performance of recognizing and managing an adult deteriorating patient in hospital. BACKGROUND There is evidence that final year undergraduate nurses may lack knowledge, clinical skills and situation awareness required to manage a deteriorating patient competently. The effectiveness of clinical simulation as a strategy to teach the skills required to recognize and manage the early signs of deterioration needs to be evaluated. DESIGN This study was a two centre phase II single, randomized, controlled trial with single blinded assessments. METHOD Data were collected in July 2013. Ninety-eight first year nursing students were randomized either into a control group, where they received a traditional lecture, or an intervention group where they received simulation. Participants completed a pre- and postintervention objective structured clinical examination. General Perceived Self Efficacy and Self-Reported Competency scores were measured before and after the intervention. Student satisfaction with teaching was also surveyed. RESULTS The intervention group performed significantly better in the post-objective structured clinical examination. There was no significant difference in the postintervention General Perceived Self Efficacy and Self-Reported Competency scores between the control and intervention group. The intervention group was significantly more satisfied with their teaching method. CONCLUSION Simulation-based education may be an effective educational strategy to teach nurses the skills to effectively recognize and manage a deteriorating patient.
A novel quantized time‐domain compressed feedback scheme in coordinated multipoint LTE‐advanced systems

Coordinated Multi‐Point technique has attracted much attention for its promising potential on improving spectral efficiency. However, in frequency division duplexing systems, significant channel state information (CSI) mismatch and huge feedback overhead greatly limit its performance. Within state of the art feedback schemes in which channel matrix are fed back over subcarriers, the feedback overhead is too large, and the achieved network gain is also limited. In this paper, we exploit the channel sparsity in time‐domain and propose an quantized time‐domain compressed feedback (QTDCF) scheme. For the sake of performance evaluation, two conventional feedback schemes are compared with our scheme. Rate gap between rate with perfect CSI and actual rate with erroneous CSI is used as the performance evaluation metric. A theoretic upper bound on the rate gaps, with respect to the total feedback overhead, is also derived for our scheme. Furthermore, considering the asymmetry characteristic of the global channel, an optimal bit allocation strategy among all cooperating cells is designed for our proposed QTDCF scheme. The proposed strategy is based on the branching and bounding theory with integer constraints on bits allocated for quantizing each channel coefficient over subcarriers or channel taps. Finally, simulation results show that our scheme can significantly reduce the feedback overhead and greatly improve the CSI reconstruction quality compared with existing feedback schemes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The spectacular human nose: an amplifier of individual quality?

Amplifiers are signals that improve the perception of underlying differences in quality. They are cost free and advantageous to high quality individuals, but disadvantageous to low quality individuals, as poor quality is easier perceived because of the amplifier. For an amplifier to evolve, the average fitness benefit to the high quality individuals should be higher than the average cost for the low quality individuals. The human nose is, compared to the nose of most other primates, extraordinary large, fragile and easily broken—especially in male–male interactions. May it have evolved as an amplifier among high quality individuals, allowing easy assessment of individual quality and influencing the perception of attractiveness? We tested the latter by manipulating the position of the nose tip or, as a control, the mouth in facial pictures and had the pictures rated for attractiveness. Our results show that facial attractiveness failed to be influenced by mouth manipulations. Yet, facial attractiveness increased when the nose tip was artificially centered according to other facial features. Conversely, attractiveness decreased when the nose tip was displaced away from its central position. Our results suggest that our evaluation of attractiveness is clearly sensitive to the centering of the nose tip, possibly because it affects our perception of the face’s symmetry and/or averageness. However, whether such centering is related to individual quality remains unclear.
Evaluation of cognition and fatigue in multiple sclerosis: daily practice and future directions

The so‐called hidden symptoms or soft signs of multiple sclerosis comprise cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, depression and anxiety. From a patient's perspective, these symptoms are rated as exerting much more negative impact on quality of life and daily functioning than their physical symptoms. Despite this knowledge, the symptoms remain disregarded by many neurologists in clinical practice. This missing awareness can be attributed to several reasons. First, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms determining occurrence and severity of the different symptoms are still unclear. Second, there is uncertainty in how to reliably assess them. It is undeniable that assessment can be difficult as the hidden symptoms seldom appear isolated but more often highly interact. Third, if standardized, fast and cost‐effective assessment to quantify and monitor the evolution of the hidden symptoms would be feasible, the question still remains how to treat these aspects. The present article will give an overview on symptom background and assessment strategies for clinical practice.
Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques

From the Publisher: The key to client/server computing. Transaction processing techniques are deeply ingrained in the fields of databases and operating systems and are used to monitor, control and update information in modern computer systems. This book will show you how large, distributed, heterogeneous computer systems can be made to work reliably. Using transactions as a unifying conceptual framework, the authors show how to build high-performance distributed systems and high-availability applications with finite budgets and risk. The authors provide detailed explanations of why various problems occur as well as practical, usable techniques for their solution. Throughout the book, examples and techniques are drawn from the most successful commercial and research systems. Extensive use of compilable C code fragments demonstrates the many transaction processing algorithms presented in the book. The book will be valuable to anyone interested in implementing distributed systems or client/server architectures.
Thermal and Chemical Expansion in Proton Ceramic Electrolytes and Compatible Electrodes

This review paper focuses on the phenomenon of thermochemical expansion of two specific categories of conducting ceramics: Proton Conducting Ceramics (PCC) and Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductors (MIEC). The theory of thermal expansion of ceramics is underlined from microscopic to macroscopic points of view while the chemical expansion is explained based on crystallography and defect chemistry. Modelling methods are used to predict the thermochemical expansion of PCCs and MIECs with two examples: hydration of barium zirconate (BaZr1−xYxO3−δ) and oxidation/reduction of La1−xSrxCo0.2Fe0. 8O3−δ. While it is unusual for a review paper, we conducted experiments to evaluate the influence of the heating rate in determining expansion coefficients experimentally. This was motivated by the discrepancy of some values in literature. The conclusions are that the heating rate has little to no effect on the obtained values. Models for the expansion coefficients of a composite material are presented and include the effect of porosity. A set of data comprising thermal and chemical expansion coefficients has been gathered from the literature and presented here divided into two groups: protonic electrolytes and mixed ionic-electronic conductors. Finally, the methods of mitigation of the thermal mismatch problem are discussed.
Endoscopic assessment of oesophagitis: clinical and functional correlates and further validation of the Los Angeles classification

BACKGROUND Endoscopic oesophageal changes are diagnostically helpful and identify patients exposed to the risk of disease chronicity. However, there is a serious lack of agreement about how to describe and classify the appearance of reflux oesophagitis AIMS To examine the reliability of criteria that describe the circumferential extent of mucosal breaks and to evaluate the functional and clinical correlates of patients with reflux disease whose oesophagitis was graded according to the Los Angeles system. METHODS Forty six endoscopists from different countries used a detailed worksheet to evaluate endoscopic video recordings from 22 patients with the full range of severity of reflux oesophagitis. In separate studies, Los Angeles system gradings were correlated with 24 hour oesophageal pH monitoring (178 patients), and with clinical trials of omeprazole treatment (277 patients). RESULTS Evaluation of circumferential extent of oesophagitis by the criterion of whether mucosal breaks extended between the tops of mucosal folds, gave acceptable agreement (mean κ value 0.4) among observers. This approach is used in the Los Angeles system. An alternative approach of grouping the circumferential extent of mucosal breaks as occupying 0–25%, 26–50%, 51–75%, 76–99%, or 100% of the oesophageal circumference, gave unacceptably high interobserver variation (mean κ values 0–0.15) for all but the lowest category of extent (mean κ value 0.4). Severity of oesophageal acid exposure was significantly (p<0.001) related to the severity grade of oesophagitis. Preteatment oesophagitis grades A–C were related to heartburn severity (p<0.01), outcomes of omeprazole (10 mg daily) treatment (p<0.01), and the risk for symptom relapse off therapy over six months (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Results add further support to previous studies for the clinical utility of the Los Angeles system for endoscopic grading of oesophagitis.
Design of Fundamental Power Coupler for High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator

A single-window coaxial coupler at warm has been designed for high intensity heavy-ion accelerator. The coupler is designed to handle 100kW CW power of 325 MHz and is currently being fabricated. T-bend transition and doorknob have been taken into account. The length of the T-bend short circuit is sensitive to S parameters and contributes to the online adjustment of VSWR in RF conditioning. The doorknob type is adopted to realize the transition from a half-height WR2300 waveguide to a coaxial line ended with a coupling antenna. This paper describes the RF design, thermal stress and heat load analysis of the coupler as well as multipacting simulations.
Adaptive educational hypermedia interoperability and content creation with a web service-based architecture

The take-up of Adaptive Educational Hypermedia (AEH) by the educators has been slow, in part due to the complexity of authoring and the often short 'lifetime' of the AEH software. AEH system interoperability can address these problems. This paper reports on a web services architecture for AEH interoperability that builds upon prior translation-based conversion processes between AEH systems. We describe a case study in the development of a web service using Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and SOAP that is capable of converting My Online Teacher (MOT) materials to Web-based, Hierarchical, Universal, Reactive Learning Environment (WHURLE). This web service is flexible and easily extensible, and represents the first step in developing an interoperable middleware for AEH conversions.
Treatment of glioblastoma multiforme using a combination of small interfering RNA targeting epidermal growth factor receptor and β‐catenin

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and β‐catenin are two key mediators of cell signal transduction implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of tumors. There is emerging evidence indicating that they are overexpressed in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and both play significant roles in GBM carcinogenesis. Moreover, down‐regulating EGFR individually only provides limited therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, we aimed to determine the feasibility and efficacy of gene therapy of GBM using combinatorial inhibition of EGFR and β‐catenin in view of the cross‐talk between these two signaling pathways.
Inhibition of Advanced Glycation and Absence of Galectin-3 Prevent Blood-Retinal Barrier Dysfunction during Short-Term Diabetes

Breakdown of the inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB) occurs early in diabetes and is central to the development of sight-threatening diabetic macular edema (DME) as retinopathy progresses. In the current study, we examined how advanced glycation end products (AGEs) forming early in diabetes could modulate vasopermeability factor expression in the diabetic retina and alter inter-endothelial cell tight junction (TJ) integrity leading to iBRB dysfunction. We also investigated the potential for an AGE inhibitor to prevent this acute pathology and examined a role of the AGE-binding protein galectin-3 (Gal-3) in AGE-mediated cell retinal pathophysiology. Diabetes was induced in C57/BL6 wild-type (WT) mice and in Gal-3−/− transgenic mice. Blood glucose was monitored and AGE levels were quantified by ELISA and immunohistochemistry. The diabetic groups were subdivided, and one group was treated with the AGE-inhibitor pyridoxamine (PM) while separate groups of WT and Gal-3−/− mice were maintained as nondiabetic controls. iBRB integrity was assessed by Evans blue assay alongside visualisation of TJ protein complexes via occludin-1 immunolocalization in retinal flat mounts. Retinal expression levels of the vasopermeability factor VEGF were quantified using real-time RT-PCR and ELISA. WT diabetic mice showed significant AGE -immunoreactivity in the retinal microvasculature and also showed significant iBRB breakdown (P < .005). These diabetics had higher VEGF mRNA and protein expression in comparison to controls (P < .01). PM-treated diabetics had normal iBRB function and significantly reduced diabetes-mediated VEGF expression. Diabetic retinal vessels showed disrupted TJ integrity when compared to controls, while PM-treated diabetics demonstrated near-normal configuration. Gal-3−/− mice showed significantly less diabetes-mediated iBRB dysfunction, junctional disruption, and VEGF expression changes than their WT counterparts. The data suggests an AGE-mediated disruption of iBRB via upregulation of VEGF in the diabetic retina, possibly modulating disruption of TJ integrity, even after acute diabetes. Prevention of AGE formation or genetic deletion of Gal-3 can effectively prevent these acute diabetic retinopathy changes.