Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
c-Src-dependent phosphorylation of Mfn2 regulates endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria tethering

Contact sites between the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) regulate the exchange of lipids, Ca2+, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) across the two organelles. Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) has been identified as one of the major components tethering these two organelles together. Several post-translational modifications (PTMs) of Mfn2 have been shown to modulate canonical (i.e., mitochondrial fusion) and non-canonical Mfn2 functions, such as mitophagy and activation of ER stress signaling. However, there is little information about whether any PTMs can regulate mitochondrial and ER tethering. Basal tyrosine phosphorylation of Mfn2 was detected by mass spectroscopy, but it is unknown whether Mfn2 is a substrate of mitochondria-localized tyrosine kinases. Here, we show that mitochondria-localized c-Src can phosphorylate the C-terminal tail of Mfn2, which decreases the distance between the mitochondria and ER and facilitates Ca2+ transfer from the ER to mitochondria, followed by changes in ROS generation and mitochondrial bioenergetics. Our findings suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of Mfn2 may uniquely work to fine-tune ER-mitochondrial Ca2+ transport under physiological and pathological conditions.
A Double Payload Complex between Hypericin and All-trans Retinoic Acid in the β-Lactoglobulin Protein

Combined therapies are usually used to treat acne vulgaris since this approach can tackle various foci simultaneously. Using a combination of spectroscopic, computational, and microbiological techniques and methods, herein we report on the use of β-lactoglobulin as a double payload carrier of hypericin (an antimicrobial photodynamic agent) and all-trans retinoic acid (an anti-inflammatory drug) for S. aureus in vitro photodynamic inactivation. The addition of all-trans retinoic acid to hypericin-β-lactoglobulin complex renders a photochemically safe vehicle due to the photophysical quenching of hypericin, which recovers its photodynamic activity when in contact with bacteria. The ability of hypericin to photoinactivate S. aureus was not affected by retinoic acid. β-Lactoglobulin is a novel biocompatible and photochemically safe nanovehicle with strong potential for the treatment of acne.
Impact of Expenses on Human Capital on the Economic Growth of the Country: Case Study of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Analysis of the impact of human capital on the efficiency of the economy of Kazakhstan was based on regression models with the use of statistical data on the volume of investments in professional and higher education, health care, and income per capita, life expectancy, and GDP per capita in 2005-2017. In the current conditions of Kazakhstan, it is found that investments in secondary and higher education and health care have no statistically significant link with the efficiency of the national economy, as well as life expectancy, while income per capita has an impact on economic growth. The low economic effect of expenditures in education and health care may evidence the ineffectiveness of such investments. Spending on higher education does not yet have a significant impact on the change of GDP. This fact indicates that the economy of Kazakhstan has not yet adopted an innovative character. It is necessary to focus on the training of qualified professional personnel at the lower and middle levels, especially on technical specialties.
Effect of the In Ovo Injection Site of Electrolytes on Some Biochemical Blood Parameters and Quality of Layer Chicks

Simple Summary In ovo technology is a unique method, the primary goal of which is to administer bioactive substances to eggs during the embryonic development of the bird. Therefore, it is necessary to develop optimal techniques for the implementation of in ovo feeding technology in practical poultry production. This preliminary study may open a window for future research on the site/location of manipulation and solutions and carriers of nutrients used for in ovo injection of laying hen embryos. Abstract The effects of the in ovo injection site of electrolytes on selected biochemical blood parameters and the quality of layer chicks were investigated. A total of 120 fertile eggs from Rhode Island Red breeders were randomly distributed into 4 groups, with each group including 30 birds. The groups were as follows: untreated control and groups with different injection sites/locations of 500 µL of 0.9% saline (NaCl) on day 18 of incubation, i.e., into the air cell (AC), through the air cell into the amniotic fluid (AFA), and directly into the amniotic fluid (AF). Measurement at 1 day of age showed that regardless of the injection site, embryos injected with 500 µL of saline had significantly higher Tona score (95/100 points) compared to the control group (90/100 points). Chick length was similar among the injected groups (mean 14.7 cm) and shorter in the control group (13.9 cm). There was no significant effect of in ovo injection on the biochemical blood parameters: total protein, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, glucose, urea, and uric acid. The highest concentration of sodium was noted in the control group (141.59 mmol/L). Regardless of the injection site/location, chicks treated with 500 µL of NaCl were characterized by a significantly lower blood sodium concentration (by 7.45% (AC), 7.90% (AFA), and 4.84% (AF) compared with birds from the control group (p ≤ 0.01)). The influence of saline solution administration in ovo on the blood potassium content of chicks was demonstrated. The concentration of potassium in the control group was significantly higher (by 11.36%) than in the AC group (p ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, the injection of 500 µL of saline solution into the developing chick embryo during the last days of incubation may have a positive effect on the quality of day-old chicks.
Optimal proportional reinsurance and pairs trading under exponential utility criterion for the insurer

This paper studies the optimal proportional reinsurance and investment strategy for an insurer who invests one paired assets, where their price spread is described by Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (O-U) processes. The insurer's objective is to maximize the expected exponential utility of the terminal wealth in a finite time horizon under two risk models: a classical risk model and a diffusion model. Using the classical stochastic control approach based on the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, we characterize the optimal strategies and provide a verification result for the value function via the exponential integrability of the square of an O-U process. Finally, numerical examples are performed to obtain sensitivity analysis.
Periodontal Pathogen Adhesion, Cytotoxicity, and Surface Free Energy of Different Materials for an Implant Prosthesis Screw Access Hole

Background and Objectives: Oral implant restorations are an excellent treatment option for edentulous patients; however, periodontopathogenic bacteria have been found in the microgaps between implant−abutment junctions. Implant designs to limit the microgaps have been extensively studied. However, studies have shown microgaps continue to exist, allowing for the leakage of bacteria into the implant system. Screw access hole materials are used to fill the access hole void. The use of materials with beneficial properties could provide bacterial leakage prevention. The aim of this study was to examine the surface free energy, cytotoxicity, and bacterial adhesion of selected screw access hole materials such as cotton, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape, paraffin wax−polyolefin thermoplastic (PF), paraffin wax (Wax), gutta-percha (GP), and caviton EX (CE). Materials and Methods: A sessile drop test was performed to observe the contact angle and calculate the surface free energy of each material in order to determine the level of hydrophobicity. Cytotoxicity was examined in a mouse gingival epithelial cell line for day 1 and day 3. Bacterial adhesion was tested with Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Results: PTFE, PF, and wax presented low surface free energies of 19.34, 23.041, and 24.883 mN.m-1, respectively. No cytotoxicity was observed, except for GP and CE. Concurrently, the bacterial adhesion was also the lowest in PTFE and PF. Conclusions: Within the limits of this study, PTFE and PF showed an excellent biocompatibility with few bacterial adhesions. These materials could be potential screw access hole materials in clinical settings.
The preferences of consumers when selecting skin care products

Purpose of the study: The importance of existing sales affinities between products cannot be understated. Consumers shopping baskets contain multiple products, from several product categories resulting in the development of a basket of cross-category products. Given that consumer preferences are attribute-driven, the authors questioned the attribute preferences of selected cross-category skincare products. As such the aim of the study was to determine product attribute preferences for skincare cross-category products in Durban. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research design was used in the form of a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The study targeted Durban consumers and sampled 213 students selected from three Durban universities. Sampling techniques included the use of convenience sampling and respondents were purposely selected based on their capacity to give meaningful information relevant to the study. Conjoint analysis experts and a statistician was used to ensure research instrument validity. The questionnaire was also pretested prior to data collection. Findings: The results indicated acceptable, consistent scoring patterns for the research instrument. Kendall’s Tau test was used to test for reliability of the research instrument. The study revealed that for skincare products, durability was the most important attribute followed by the brand, product effectiveness (strength),
Evaluating Afghanistan University students’ writing anxiety in English class: An empirical research

Abstract Writing anxiety leads to poor writing performance among learners as it hinders their writing. This study investigated the level, types, and causes of writing anxiety among Afghan EFL students. A total of 133 undergraduates was selected as the respondents. The study used a quantitative research method and the data was collected using a questionnaire derived from Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory and Cause of Writing Anxiety Inventory. Both descriptive and inferential statistics of SPSS were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicated a moderate level of writing anxiety, with cognitive anxiety as the dominant type of writing anxiety. In addition, the inferential analysis showed no significant differences in the level of writing anxiety across gender and their years of study. However, a statistically significant difference was found among students from different backgrounds who possessed different English proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, high-intermediate, and advanced). Moreover, linguistic problems, time pressure, the pressure to be perfect, and the fear of teachers’ negative evaluation were discovered to be the leading causes of writing anxiety. Finally, it is believed that the findings of this study may provide several implications for practitioners in this field to be more aware of students’ writing anxiety in English class. It may alert them of the negative effects of writing anxiety and they may try to make the class as stress-free as possible to improve students’ performance in writing.
Process Design and Optimization towards Digital Twins for HIV-Gag VLP Production in HEK293 Cells, including Purification

Despite great efforts to develop a vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS if untreated, no approved HIV vaccine is available to date. A promising class of vaccines are virus-like particles (VLPs), which were shown to be very effective for the prevention of other diseases. In this study, production of HI-VLPs using different 293F cell lines, followed by a three-step purification of HI-VLPs, was conducted. The quality-by-design-based process development was supported by process analytical technology (PAT). The HI-VLP concentration increased 12.5-fold while >80% purity was achieved. This article reports on the first general process development and optimization up to purification. Further research will focus on process development for polishing and formulation up to lyophilization. In addition, process analytical technology and process modeling for process automation and optimization by digital twins in the context of quality-by-design framework will be developed.
THE EMPLOYEES ATTITUDES IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM AND ABOUT POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF GASTRONOMIC TOURISM IN VOJVODINA

Vojvodina is traditionally a significant producer o f f od in the region and Serbia. Its geographic loc ati n, relief, climate and cultural heritage created many recogniz able, authentic dishes, food products and beverages produced in industry or prepared in restaurants which are us ed for the population feeding and export. Many coun tries in the world put their food industry into the function of tourism by organizing tasting of food and introduci ng and specially marking a series of domestic regional dis hes in the restaurant’s menus, protecting the origi ns of wellknown products, opening museums that are promoting cultural and gastronomic heritage, organizing a num ber of gastronomic events, organizing tourist cooking scho ols and undertaking a number of other activities wh ich promote their own food and drink, developing in thi s way gastronomic tourism. The key factor in the de velopment of this selective tourism forms are employees in th e tourism and catering industry of the region, ther efore the aim of this paper is to research the attitudes of emplo yees in the hospitality and tourism related to the state and development of gastronomy tourism in Vojvodina. Thi s paper aim is to research the employee’s attitudes and knowledge about gastronomy tourism and its potentia l for development, which would bring great benefit to the region. Klju čne reči: gastronomija, hrana, turizam, Vojvodina
Vibration Anomaly Detection Using Multivariate Time Series

The paper presents a set of deep learning algorithms for detecting vibration anomalies in bearings using multivariate time series on datasets provided by Case Western Reserve University. The study considers a problem of multiclassification of the condition of the bearings depending on the type of defect, but also on the degree of defect, considering only punctual defects in an incipient phase. Once the data sets are correctly labeled and the algorithms are trained on this data, they can accurately predict the type and the size of defect. The model with the best results in the set is RNN - CNN (Recurrent Neural Network with Convolutions) giving an accuracy greater than 97% in all (load) cases.
Cobalamin Riboswitches Are Broadly Sensitive to Corrinoid Cofactors to Enable an Efficient Gene Regulatory Strategy

Some bacterial mRNAs contain a region called a riboswitch which controls gene expression by binding to a metabolite in the cell. Typically, riboswitches sense and respond to a limited range of cellular metabolites, often just one type. ABSTRACT In bacteria, many essential metabolic processes are controlled by riboswitches, gene regulatory RNAs that directly bind and detect metabolites. Highly specific effector binding enables riboswitches to respond to a single biologically relevant metabolite. Cobalamin riboswitches are a potential exception because over a dozen chemically similar but functionally distinct cobalamin variants (corrinoid cofactors) exist in nature. Here, we measured cobalamin riboswitch activity in vivo using a Bacillus subtilis fluorescent reporter system and found, among 38 tested riboswitches, a subset responded to corrinoids promiscuously, while others were semiselective. Analyses of chimeric riboswitches and structural models indicate, unlike other riboswitch classes, cobalamin riboswitches indirectly differentiate among corrinoids by sensing differences in their structural conformation. This regulatory strategy aligns riboswitch-corrinoid specificity with cellular corrinoid requirements in a B. subtilis model. Thus, bacteria can employ broadly sensitive riboswitches to cope with the chemical diversity of essential metabolites. IMPORTANCE Some bacterial mRNAs contain a region called a riboswitch which controls gene expression by binding to a metabolite in the cell. Typically, riboswitches sense and respond to a limited range of cellular metabolites, often just one type. In this work, we found the cobalamin (vitamin B12) riboswitch class is an exception, capable of sensing and responding to multiple variants of B12—collectively called corrinoids. We found cobalamin riboswitches vary in corrinoid specificity with some riboswitches responding to each of the corrinoids we tested, while others responding only to a subset of corrinoids. Our results suggest the latter class of riboswitches sense intrinsic conformational differences among corrinoids in order to support the corrinoid-specific needs of the cell. These findings provide insight into how bacteria sense and respond to an exceptionally diverse, often essential set of enzyme cofactors.
Effect of mechanical properties and geometric dimensions on electromechanical impedance signatures for adhesive joint integrity monitoring

Abstract Adhesive joints are prone to damage, which may be difficult to detect using Nondestructive Test. Structural Health Monitoring techniques, such as the Electromechanical Impedance Spectroscopy (EMIS), allow for continuous monitoring and early detection of structural defects. Developing efficient damage detection algorithms requires simulations of adhesive structures, which require elastic and damping properties under high frequency range. Tests were performed for crash-resistant and silicone adhesives. Numerical simulations with said properties were compared with experimental impedance measurements from Single Lap Joints (SLJ). This allowed for the estimation of adhesive properties, but numerical results for SLJs with silicone adhesive diverged from experimental results.
Application of Fuzzy PID Control in MPPT of Photovoltaic Power Generating System

The output power of PV module varies with module temperature.In order to effectively use solar energy,it needs maximum power point tracking(MPPT). Fuzzy control is static error control,it still has oscillations existing near the maximum power point.In order to further improve the photovoltaic MPPT control quality,a fuzzy PID control strategy based on the duty cycle perturbation was proposed.The basic approaches are to directly take the duty cycle as control variables and to introduce the fuzzy control to the traditional PID control.The fuzzy control is used to respond quickly to adjustments in the large deviations and the conventional PID control is used for accurate adjustment within small deviations both with the accuracy of and the rapidity of MPPT.The simulation results show that this method can quickly and accurately track the maximum power point of photovoltaic cells,avoid the oscillation in the maximum power point,and improve the energy conversion efficiency.
Evaluation of submaximal endurance in young children living with HIV

Background There is growing concern about the long-term sequelae [a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury] of perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Children living with HIV (CLHIV) present with cardiopulmonary impairments and decreased physical activity which may be due to poor endurance. Objectives Our study aimed to investigate the sub-maximal endurance of CLHIV compared to a non-infected comparison group. Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive study 346 CLHIV, between ages five and eleven years, were assessed using the Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation were measured pre-test, immediately post-test and five minutes post-test. Clinical and anthropometric data were recorded. Height and weight were assessed using a stadiometer and a digital scale, respectively. Results 175 CLHIV (52% female) and 171 children without HIV (46% female) participated. All children were Black African. The CLHIV all initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) at a young age (mean 8.7 months, standard deviation 6.7) and their disease was well controlled (viral load < 1000copies/ml). There were no statistically significant differences in submaximal endurance between the two groups (p = 0.831). Age of starting ART and stunted growth were negatively associated (r = -2.8 (p = 0.019) and r = -46.1 (p = 0.027), respectively) with distance walked in the 6MWT by girls living with HIV. Conclusion CLHIV who initiate ART early with well-controlled disease are able to attain submaximal endurance levels similar to their uninfected peers. Clinical implications Endurance and physical activity should be monitored in CLHIV. Submaximal endurance levels may improve with age and biological maturation.
High efficiency switching CMOS power amplifiers for wireless communications.

High-efficiency performance is one of the most important requirements of power amplifiers (PAs) for wireless applications. However, the design of highly efficient CMOS PAs for watt-level applications is a challenging task. This dissertation focuses on the development of the design method for highly efficient CMOS PAs to overcome the fundamental difficulties presented by CMOS technology. In this dissertation, the design method and analysis for a high-power and high-efficiency class-E CMOS PA with a fully integrated transformer have been presented. This work is the first effort to set up a comprehensive design methodology for a fully integrated class-E CMOS PA including effects of an integrated transformer, which is very crucial for watt-level power applications. In addition, to improve efficiency of cascode class-E CMOS PAs, a charging acceleration technique is developed. The method accelerates a charging speed to turn off the common-gate device in the off-state, thus reducing the power loss. To demonstrate the proposed cascode class-E PA, a prototype CMOS PA was implemented in a 0.18-microm CMOS process. Measurements show an improvement of approximately 6% in the power added efficiency. The proposed cascode class-E PA structure is suitable for the design of high-efficiency class-E PAs while it reduces the voltage stress across the device.
Emotional labor & COVID-19: MPA program director perspectives

ABSTRACT Emotional labor refers to the management and regulation of emotions as part of one’s professional role. This research is one of the first to provide insight into the role of emotional labor during a global pandemic for Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program directors. Our paper both replicates and extends previous work in emotional labor through examining survey data from 92 MPA Directors. Using emotional labor as our descriptive framework, the findings suggest gender and academic rank indicate whose workload has been affected during the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, the results indicate the likelihood of greater burdens experienced by women, both white women and women of color. Our findings offer additional understanding about how emotional labor continues to impact certain populations within our public administration and policy discipline, sounding the alarm for MPA programs to address the problems at hand.