Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single wavelength excited multi-channel nanoMOF sensor for simultaneous and ratiometric imaging of intracellular pH and O2

Despite the fact that multi-channel sensors could afford comprehensive information for the analysis of basic biological or physiological processes, the design of such nanosensors based on luminescent metal–organic frameworks (LMOFs) is still in its infancy. Herein, we constructed a three-channel ratiometric LMOF-based nanoprobe using an in situ one-pot strategy in which a pH sensitive organic dye of fluorescein isothiocyanate, an O2 indicator of platinum meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin and a reference dye of 1,3,6,8-tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)pyrene were simultaneously integrated into a matrix of UiO-66 nanoparticles. The contents of the encapsulated dyes were precisely mediated to meet the requirement of simultaneous sensing of different signals. The developed LMOF-based nanoprobe demonstrated remarkable sensitivity toward simultaneous pH and O2 detection with good reversibility and could work under single wavelength excitation without signal cross-talk. Given the excellent biocompatibility of UiO-66, the developed multi-channel imaging system was successfully applied to record the response process of cancer cells to external acidity and oxygenation changes, especially in hypoxia and low acidity. Thanks to the integration of different luminescent reporters in the MOF substrate, the nanoprobe could work as a whole to concomitantly image and quantify different signals at the same location in living cancer cells, prefiguring the great promise of the current strategy for the design of a large variety of sensing platforms towards the analysis of multiple biological signals.
An electrostatic-interaction-based mechanism triggering misfolding of prion proteins from cellular isoform to scrapie isoform

Understanding how prion proteins refold from a cellular isoform (PrPC) to a disease-causing isoform (PrPSc) has been among the “ultimate challenges” in molecular biology, biophysics, pathology, and immunology. Conformational changes of prion proteins from PrPC to PrPSc involve the unfolding of a short α-helix that overshadows the challenge. Considering the mechanisms of electrostatic attraction, thermal disturbance, hydrogen ion concentration, hydrophobic interaction, and the shielding effect of water molecules, this study reveals an electrostatic-interaction-based mechanism by means of which prion proteins refold in an aqueous environment. The electrostatic-interaction-induced protein unfolding mechanism causes a hydrophobic polypeptide segment to dangle out over the conglobate main body of the prion protein, thereby allowing the first triangular hydrophobic rung formation via hydrophobic interaction. A molecular model of PrPSc is proposed that allows the β-solenoid with a triangular hydrophobic core. Statement of Significance We present three main results that would revolutionize the understanding of pathology of prion diseases. First, the prion protein refolding (from cellular isoform to scrapie isoform) derives from the unfolding of the shortest α-helix of PrPC, which provides a long polypeptide segment full of hydrophobic residues dangling out over the conglobate main body of the prion protein, thereby allowing formation of the first triangular hydrophobic rung via hydrophobic interaction. Second, polyanions-induced increasing in local concentration of hydrogen ion (i.e., the PH increase) undermines the shielding effect of water molecules, thereby allowing escape of the arginine side chains from the hydration shell, destabilizing the shortest α-helix and initiating the refolding of PrPC. Third, a β-solenoid structural model for PrPSc with a triangular hydrophobic core is proposed.
Development of BSA conjugated on modified surface of quercetin- loaded lipid nanocarriers for breast cancer treatment

Multiple drug resistance is a key limitation for the clinical administration of chemotherapeutic drugs, apart from this their major limitations with free drugs are poor solubility, physiochemical and pharmaceutical behavior. These limitations with free drugs can be overcome by nanoformulations using natural biopolymer. In this study, successful utilization of P-glycoprotein receptor for the delivery of anticancer drug quercetin (Q), encapsulated inside the lipid nanocarriers (LNs) was introduced for the treatment of breast cancer. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was conjugated on the Q-loaded LNs( BSA-Q-LNs) for targeting to receptor. Q-loaded LNs were prepared using a single emulsion solvent evaporation method, followed by surface modification of Q-loaded LNs using charge interaction. Finally, surface modified Q-loaded LNs were conjugated with BSA using thiol reaction. The formulated nano construct was a spherical structure with a shell size of 530 nm. Encapsulation of Q inside the matrix of LNs is confirmed from shift in FT-IR, XRD peak. The release kinetic of Q- loaded LNs formulation was best fitted in a first-order kinetic model suggesting early burst of Q followed by slow release. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading efficiency were found to be 76 ± 0.3% and 15.72 ± 0.7% respectively. The Q-loaded LNs and BSA-Q-LNs displayed the improved cytotoxicity in drug resistance human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) as compared to free Q.
Funding STEAM Curriculum Development

Simone Williams Acknowledgements: Jagruthi Maroju Executive Summary: Simone Williams Introduction: All Background Importance of STEAM Education: Simone Williams STEAM Education in the United States: Simone Williams STEAM Education in Panama: Simone Williams Mission Statement and Vision: Orlando Pinel What Have They Done So Far: Orlando Pinel Grant Types and Availability: Christian M. Schrader Funding Opportunities in Panama: Christian M. Schrader Fundesteam’s Current Funding: Christian M. Schrader Website Design: Jagruthi Maroju Fundesteam’s Website: Jagruthi Maroju Methodology Research Existing Funding Databases: Christian M. Schrader Conduct a General Survey: Jagruthi Maroju and Simone Williams Create an Upgraded Website: Simone Williams Findings and Analysis 3M Study of Fundesteam: Simone Williams Creating the Funding Database: Simone Williams Collecting Survey Data: Christian M. Schrader and Simone Williams Reworking Fundesteam’s Website: Christian M. Schrader Judging the National Robotics Olympiad: Christian M. Schrader Finding Marketing Outlets: Orlando Pinel Recommendations: Orlando Pinel Conclusion: Simone Williams References: All Primary Document Editing: Simone Williams Secondary Document Editing: Jagruthi Maroju
Factors affecting accessibility of cervical cancer screening services for women with physical and sensory disabilities in Lusaka District, Zambia

Aims: The study sought to examine service related factors which influence cervical cancer screening among women with physical and sensory disabilities. Methods: The study used a qualitative case study design using in depth interviews, field observations and document study to collect data. A purposive sample of primary respondents included 12 women with physical and sensory disabilities aged between 18 years old and 49 years old, these were recruited based on type and severity of disability. Six key informants were recruited from organizations working with people with disabilities and cervical cancer screening service providers. Key informants from disability organizations identified eligible primary participants. Thematic analysis was done using Nvivo 10 software. Results: Women with disabilities identified various factors which affect accessibility of cervical cancer screening services, namely; structural design of the health facility, inappropriate screening equipment, inadequate access to information, education and communication (IEC) materials, confidentiality of service, and limited skills of service providers. Mazuba Hachipola1, Oliver Mweemba2, Sitali, Doreen3 Affiliations: 1Bed (sp), Student, Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; 2PhD, MPhil Lecturer, Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; 3MPH, Bsc, Lecturer, Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. Corresponding Author: Mazuba Hachipola, University of Zambia, School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Ridgeway campus, P.O. Box 50110, Lusaka, Zambia; Email: mhachipola@gmail.com Received: 12 January 2017 Accepted: 03 March 2017 Published: 29 March 2017 Conclusion: Women with physical and sensory disabilities encounter various barriers in accessing cervical cancer screening. This may lead to delayed detection and increased complications on clients who are found with an advanced stage of cervical cancer. Health service providers require skills in working with women with disabilities. Although legislature exists through the Persons with Disability Act of Zambia to promote accessible health services, it has not been fully enacted, therefore, there ought to be rigorous enforcement of existing legislature which promotes accessible health services.
In vitro Antioxidant Properties of Indian Capsicum Species-A Comparative Study

Chilli peppers are used worldwide in foods for their pungent flavour, aroma, and to prolong food spoilage. chillies has been used as food, spice and household medicine for several common problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint pain, skin problem, and used as carminative, appetizer, stomachic, beverages, relief of pain in neuropathy and counter irritant in treatment of rheumatism, lumbago. While it’s biological function is to repel herbivores animals and fungi. An increasingly wide range of potential applications has increased interest in capsaicin. Especially compelling are the promising results of medical studies showing possible beneficial effects in many diseases. The present work was aimed to evaluate the comparative in vitro antioxidant activity of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of four types of chillies viz; guntur, round, byadgi and kashmiri chillies by DPPH assay, super oxide radical scavenging activity and total antioxidant capacity and the results were compared with standard drug.
Augmented Reality for Rehabilitative Therapy: Patient experiences and Practitioner perspectives

Over the past 20 years, researchers have investigated the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) to enhance rehabilitative therapies by improving motor control, supporting motivation, and offering analgesic effects. Prior work indicates that patient adherence to prescribed in-home regimens has significant impact on recovery time. Though Connected Health Technologies and Virtual and Augmented Reality (AR/VR) may maximize in-home adherence and recovery, questions about design and deployment remain. We designed a first-person Augmented Reality (AR) experience to elicit user and practitioner perspectives about AR for rehabilitative contexts. We found significant differences between patient and practitioner-report of regimen adherence. We also identified key attitude barriers to adopting VR/AR for clinical practice which may impact support for in-home VR/AR use. Findings from these studies inform directions for future research and development about the use of VR/AR in a therapeutic context.
The complete chloroplast genome of Liparis nervosa (Orchidaceae)

Abstract Liparis nervosa, a terrestrial orchid was widely used as a traditional medicinal plant in China. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast genome of L. nervosa using Illumina sequencing data. The whole genome is 158,716 bp, contains a large single-copy region (LSC 86,010 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC 18,276 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (IR 27,215 bp). The complete genome has 132 genes, including 77 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. In addition, a maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that L. nervosa was most closely related to Oberonia japonica. This work provides a theoretical basis for the development of conservation strategies of L. nervosa.
Analisis Kerapatan Kelurusan (Lineament Density) di Lapangan Panasbumi Suoh-Sekincau, Lampung

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan analisis kerapatan kelurusan di daerah penelitian yaitu di lapangan panasbumi Suoh-Sekincau yang terletak pada Kabupaten Lampung Barat Provinsi Lampung. Kerapatan kelurusan diproses dengan menggunakan citra satelit berupa digital elevation map (DEM) yang diunduh pada laman Badan Informasi Geospasial (BIG). Citra tersebut diolah dengan menggunakan perangkat lunak Geomatica dan Arcgis dan menghasilkan peta kerapatan kelurusan dengan berbagai kelompok nilai dari tinggi hingga rendah. Geologi daerah penelitian didominasi oleh batuan gunungapi (volkanik) dengan kelurusan dominan berarah baratlaut-tenggara dan merupakan bagian dari Sesar Besar Sumatera pada segmen Semangko. Morfologi daerah penelitian terdiri dari punggungan dan beberapa puncak gunung dengan adanya cekungan pull-apart pada Danau Suoh. Dari peta kerapatan kelurusan yang dihasilkan, pada sekitar Gunung Sekincau memiliki nilai yang tinggi dan diinterpretasikan bahwa daerah tersebut memiliki tingkat permeabilitas yang baik. Selain itu daerah di sekitar Danau Suoh juga memiliki nilai kerapatan yang tinggi. Daerah dengan densitas tinggi ini merupakan daerah yang baik sebagai daerah resapan panasbumi. Keywords: penginderaan jauh, panasbumi, Suoh-Sekincau, kerapatan kelurusan, Lampung
Indigenous frameworks for data-intensive humanities: recalibrating the past through knowledge engineering and generative modelling

International audience Identifying, contacting and engaging missing shareholders constitutes an enormous challenge for Māori incorporations, iwi and hapū across Aotearoa New Zealand. Without accurate data or tools to har-monise existing fragmented or conflicting data sources, issues around land succession, opportunities for economic development, and maintenance of whānau relationships are all negatively impacted. This unique three-way research collaboration between Victoria University of Wellington (VUW), Parininihi ki Waitotara Incorporation (PKW), and University of Auckland funded by the National Science Challenge | Science for Technological Innovation catalyses innovation through new digital humanities-inflected data science modelling and analytics with the kaupapa of reconnecting missing Māori shareholders for a prosperous economic, cultural, and socially revitalised future. This paper provides an overview of VUW's culturally-embedded social network approach to the project, discusses the challenges of working within an indigenous worldview, and emphasises the importance of decolonising digital humanities.
Comparing Community Detection Methods in Brain Functional Connectivity Networks

Brain functional networks are essential for understanding functional connectome. Computing the temporal dependencies between the regions of brain activities of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) gives us the functional connectivity between the regions. The pairwise connectivities in matrix form correspond to the functional network (fNet), also referred to as a functional connectivity network (FCN). We start with analyzing a correlation matrix, which is an adjacency matrix of the FCN. In this work, we perform a case study of comparison of different analytical approaches in finding node-communities of the brain network. We use five different methods of community detection, out of which two methods are implemented on the network after filtering out the edges with weight below a predetermined threshold. We additionally compute and observe the following characteristics of the outcomes: (i) modularity of the communities, (ii) symmetrical node-partition between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, i.e., hemispheric symmetry, and (iii) hierarchical modular organization. Our contribution is in identifying an appropriate test-bed for comparison of outcomes of approaches using different semantics, such as network science, information theory, multivariate analysis, and data mining.
PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL COMPETENCE

This ongoing research aims at gaining increased knowledge on how to investigate the understanding and development of digital competence as a transdisciplinary learning process in teacher education. In this paper, we employ three promising conceptual frameworks for understanding teachers’ digital competence to analyse a small set of empirical data. The three different approaches include Davies’s [1] framework of technology literacy, including awareness, praxis and phronesis, Krumsvik’s [2] model for self-awareness and practical proficiency and Mishra and Koehler’s [3] Technical Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, including technological, pedagogical and content knowledge as well as contextual knowledge. The initial analysis demonstrates the analytic strength of the three approaches. However, we recommend further investigation into the strengths and weaknesses of these frameworks before giving any further advice regarding their employment in teacher education research
Understanding the Effect of Central Government Funding on the Service and Advocacy Roles of Nonprofit Organizations in China: A Cross-Regional Comparison

This research examines the effects of government funding on the service and advocacy roles of nonprofit organizations in China through a cross-regional comparison. Based on a nationwide survey of 2,058 nonprofits and in-depth interviews with 65 nonprofit executives from the same sample in 2013–2017, we find that a higher level of central government funding leads to stronger organizational capacity for service provision through leveraging matching funds and to more intensive administrative advocacy and media advocacy. Furthermore, a cross-regional comparison shows that, in contrast to those in nonwestern regions, nonprofit organizations with higher levels of central government funding in the western region engage in more administrative advocacy but less in media advocacy. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of the government’s leverage strategy and selective empowerment in shaping nonprofits’ service and advocacy roles through government funding in China.
Inverse Kinematics of Redundant Manipulators Formulated as Quadratic Programming Optimization Problem Solved Using Recurrent Neural Networks: A Review

SUMMARY The Inverse Kinematics (IK) problem of manipulators can be divided into two distinct steps: (1) Problem formulation, where the problem is developed into a form which can then be solved using various methods. (2) Problem solution, where the IK problem is actually solved by producing the values of different joint space variables (joint angles, joint velocities or joint accelerations). The main focus of this paper is concentrated on the discussion of the IK problem of redundant manipulators, formulated as a quadratic programming optimization problem solved by different kinds of recurrent neural networks.
Optimal proportional control applied to direct current motor

This article shows the implementation of the proportional optimum control over a singular input, multiple output system, which corresponds to the speed control of a direct current motor. For this study, the controllability and observability of the model is verified to guarantee stabilization with the applied control, the system of state equations is defined and finally the optimal controller is designed with the specified requirements, in such a way as to minimize the time of response to an input signal.
Public Credit Guarantees and Financial Additionalities Across SME Risk Classes

In this paper we study the functioning of the Italian public guarantee fund (“Fondo Centrale di Garanzia”, FCG) for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Using an instrumental variable strategy, based on the eligibility for the FCG, we investigate whether the guarantee generated additional loans and/or lower interest rates to SMEs. Differently from previous literature, by focusing on the lending activity of a single large Italian lender we control for the probability of default as assessed by the bank’s internal rating model, and we examine whether the effects of the guarantee differ across firms belonging to different classes of risk. We find that guaranteed firms receive an additional amount of credit equal to 7-8 percent of their total banking exposure. We also estimate a reduction of about 50 basis points of interest rates applied to term loans granted to guaranteed firms. The effects on credit availability are concentrated in the intermediate class of solvent firms, i.e. those neither too safe nor too risky. Conversely, interest rate effects are present in all classes, but for the least risky firms. Finally, we observe a stronger impact of the guarantee for solvent firms with a longer relationship with the bank. This finding questions their ability to reduce financial frictions for very young firms.
High‐Speed Large‐Field Multifocal Illumination Fluorescence Microscopy

Scanning optical microscopy techniques are commonly restricted to a sub‐millimeter field‐of‐view (FOV) or otherwise employ slow mechanical translation, limiting their applicability for imaging fast biological dynamics occurring over large areas. A rapid scanning large‐field multifocal illumination (LMI) fluorescence microscopy technique is devised based on a beam‐splitting grating and an acousto‐optic deflector synchronized with a high‐speed camera to attain real‐time fluorescence microscopy over a centimeter‐scale FOV. Owing to its large depth of focus, the approach allows noninvasive visualization of perfusion across the entire mouse cerebral cortex, not achievable with conventional wide‐field fluorescence microscopy methods. The new concept can readily be incorporated into conventional wide‐field microscopes to mitigate image blur due to tissue scattering and attain optimal trade‐off between spatial resolution and FOV. It further establishes a bridge between conventional wide‐field macroscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy, thus it is anticipated to find broad applicability in functional neuroimaging, in vivo cell tracking, and other applications looking at large‐scale fluorescent‐based biodynamics.
Bacteriophages as an alternative to the use of antibiotics in poultry breeding

Abstract Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is an emerging problem worldwide; antimicrobials used in animal husbandry are the most important factor in the propagation of resistance genes, because the amount of antibiotics used in the animal industry is greater than in the medical field. Since phages constitute a safe alternative for the control of human pathogenic bacteria in food, this project aimed to isolate and characterize Salmonella spp. bacteriophages and use them to reduce the presence of this pathogen in poultry at the farm level, without the use of antibiotics. We obtained phage cocktails that showed lytic activity in vitro against 83% of the Salmonella strains isolated from poultry farms. The cocktails with the greatest spectrum of activity against Salmonella were obtained from nearby polluted rivers. We were able to eliminate the pathogen from the chicken intestine when phages were applied 48 hours before the animals were slaughtered, but it is necessary to maintain a permanent monitoring of the phage's lytic activity against resistant strains of Salmonella.