Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oligofluorene−Thiophene Derivatives as High-Performance Semiconductors for Organic Thin Film Transistors

A series of alkyl chain end-capped oligofluorene−thiophenes have been prepared with high yields using Suzuki or Stille coupling reactions. The electronic and optical properties of the thin films deposited at different substrate temperatures have been investigated. Morphological studies using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed well-interconnected microcrystalline domains in these thin films. X-ray diffraction measurements of the vacuum-evaporated films showed enhanced crystalline order with increasing substrate deposition temperature. Thermal analysis as well as electrochemical measurements of the materials indicated that the new oligomers have high thermal and oxidative stability. Highly ordered polycrystalline vacuum-evaporated films with charge carrier mobility as high as 0.12 cm2 V-1 s-1 have been achieved with 5,5‘-bis(7-hexyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)-2,2‘-bithiophene (DHFTTF). Thin film field-effect transistor (TFT) devices made from these materials showed remarkable stability even after UV (366.
Sleep satisfaction and cognitive complaints in Chinese middle-aged and older persons living with HIV: the mediating role of anxiety and fatigue

ABSTRACT Middle-aged and older persons living with HIV (PLWH) suffer from sleep distress and cognitive disorders due to HIV infection and aging. We aim to explore the relationship between sleep satisfaction and cognitive complaints, and the mediating role of anxiety and fatigue in this relationship among middle-aged and older PLWH. We used data from a multicenter cross-sectional study in China (Shanghai, Kunming, Nanning, Hengyang, and Changning) conducted in 2017. The data analysis included 435 PLWH aged 45 years and over. Multiple linear regression models showed that worse sleep satisfaction was significantly associated with lower cognitive complaints after controlling for anxiety, fatigue, demographic variables, and clinical variables (β = −0.246, p < 0.01). Both anxiety and fatigue were significant partial mediators in the relationship between sleep satisfaction and cognitive complaints. The serial multiple mediation models of sleep satisfaction–anxiety (M1)–fatigue (M2)–cognitive complaints were supported and the alternative model of sleep satisfaction–fatigue (M2)–anxiety (M1)–cognitive complaints were both supported. Our study indicates that it is important to improve sleep quality to promote cognitive function among Chinese middle-aged and older PLWH. Prevention and treatment programs for sleep satisfaction and cognitive function should include the assessment and reduction of fatigue and anxiety.
Functional assembly of root-associated microbial consortia improves nutrient efficiency and yield in soybean.

Root-associated microbes are critical for plant growth and nutrient acquisition. However, scant information exists on optimizing communities of beneficial root-associated microbes or the mechanisms underlying their interactions with host plants. In this report, we demonstrate that root-associated microbes are critical influencers of host plant growth and nutrient acquisition. Three synthetic communities (SynComs) were constructed based on functional screening of 1893 microbial strains isolated from root-associated compartments of soybean plants. Functionally assemblage of SynComs promoted significant plant growth and nutrient acquisition under both N/P nutrient deficiency and sufficiency conditions. Field trials further revealed that application of SynComs stably and significantly promoted plant growth, facilitated N and P acquisition, and subsequently increased soybean yield. Among the tested communities, SynCom 1 exhibited the greatest promotion effect, with yield increases of up to 36.1% observed in two field sites. Further RNA-seq implied that SynCom application systemically regulates N and P signaling networks at the transcriptional level, which leads to increased representation of important growth pathways, especially those related to auxin responses. Overall, this study details a promising strategy for constructing SynComs based on functional screening, which are capable of enhancing nutrient acquisition and crop yield through the activities of beneficial root-associated microbes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Recalibrating the Use of Race in Medical Research.

Race was originally introduced in US medical curricula in 1790 by Benjamin Rush, who asserted that blackness was a particular kind of leprosy. In 1857 Josh Nott characterized slaves as a biologically appropriate phenotype for hard labor under trying conditions. In the 1870s, the Jim Crow era of race exclusion from most societal venues reinforced medical segregation. This sordid history, although painful to recite, is the underpinnings of race in medicine, including its use in medical research. Race as a variable in medical research has long been a contentious issue.1 It is widely accepted that race is an indistinct construct that is not always measured accurately and standardized. In 1999, the Human Genome Project emphasized race as nonbiological with no basis in the genetic code. What, then, does race define? Race is a poor surrogate of social constructs and even more so, if not abjectly, of biology. Differences observed in research studies between “races” may result from the multifarious consequences of long-entrenched and continuously transformed racism. As the crisis of coronavirus disease 2019 has revealed once again, long-standing effects of racism have tremendous effects on the propagation of inequalities and injustice at all levels, including health and health care. Racism, tragically, remains a chronic and acute problem of modern societies, and the
The PirB toxin protein from Vibrio parahaemolyticus induces apoptosis in hemocytes of Penaeus vannamei

ABSTRACT Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a major debilitating disease that causes massive shrimp death resulting in substantial economic losses in shrimp aquaculture. The Pir toxin proteins secreted by a unique strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus play an essential role in the pathogenesis of AHPND. At present, most studies on the effects of Pir toxin proteins in shrimp focus on digestive tissues or organs such as hepatopancreas, stomach, etc., with none on the immune organs. In the present study, two recombinant Pir toxin proteins (rPirA and rPirB) of V. parahaemolyticus were expressed with rPirB shown to enter shrimp hemocytes. Employing pull-down and LC-MS/MS analysis, GST-rPirB was found to interact with 13 proteins in hemocytes, including histone H3 and histone H4 and among which histone H4 had the highest protein score. Further analysis using GST pull-down and Far-Western blot analysis revealed that rPirB could interact with histone H4. In addition, using the purified nucleosome protein from Drosophila S2 cells, it was found that PirB protein could specifically bind to histones. When flow cytometry was applied, it was observed that the interaction between PirB and histones in shrimp hemocytes induces apoptosis, which results in the dephosphorylation of Serine 10 in histone H3. Collectively, the current study shows that in addition to its effect on the digestive tract of shrimp, the PirB toxin protein interacts with histones to affect the phosphorylation of histone H3-S10, thereby inducing apoptosis.
Elevated Ag nanohole arrays for high performance plasmonic sensors based on extraordinary optical transmission

Label-free molecular sensing is one of the most fascinating applications of recently fast developing plasmonics. However, the implementation of plasmonic sensors in modern analytical systems strongly demands high sensitivity. Herein, by combining colloidal lithography with subsequent isotropic chemical etching of an underlying glass substrate, we report the fabrication of elevated Ag nanohole arrays (EANAs) which exhibit the property of extraordinary optical transmission. Finite-difference time-domain calculations show that the optical properties of the EANAs behave as though floating above the substrate with no support whatsoever. Compared with the original Ag nanohole arrays directly attached to a glass substrate, the refractive index sensitivity of the EANAs increases to ∼648 nm/RIU from the original ∼252 nm/RIU. This greatly enhanced sensing performance makes the EANAs very attractive as a platform for plasmonic sensing systems. As a proof-of-concept, we corroborated these findings with the label-free detection of anti-human IgG using the as-prepared EANAs.
Comparative Evaluation of Predictive Ability of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Components Including Frailty on Long-Term Mortality

ABSTRACT Background: This study aims to compare the predictive value of all comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) parameters with the predictive value of frailty assessment (with Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS) and Fried Frailty Index (FFI)) for long-term mortality, in older adults. Methods: A total of 967 patients were included, consecutively. At the first admission, age, gender, comorbidities, number of drugs, and laboratory values of the patients were recorded. Each patient underwent CGA which consisted of anthropometric measurements, functional, cognitive, mood, nutritional, gait, fall, sleep duration, and frailty assessment. Fifty-seven months after the first admission, CGA parameters were analyzed to determine their predictive abilities on long-term mortality due to all causes, comparatively. Results: The median age was 73 years (range 65–94 years). The median follow-up time was 39.9 months (range 0.5–57.3 months). Serum albumin level, FFI, EFS, instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) score, and walking time were the best predictors of mortality. There was no significant difference between these parameters in predicting mortality. Conclusion: FFI and EFS have similar predictive value for mortality. In busy clinical practice, a new index based on IADL, walking time, and serum albumin level may be an alternative of frailty assessment for predicting mortality.
Comparative hematopoiesis and signal transduction in model organisms

Hematopoiesis is a continuous phenomenon involving the formation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) giving rise to diverse functional blood cells. This developmental process of hematopoiesis is evolutionarily conserved, yet comparably different in various model organisms. Vertebrate HSCs give rise to all types of mature cells of both the myeloid and the lymphoid lineages sequentially colonizing in different anatomical tissues. Signal transduction in HSCs facilitates their potency and specifies branching of lineages. Understanding the hematopoietic signaling pathways is crucial to gain insights into their deregulation in several blood‐related disorders. The focus of the review is on hematopoiesis corresponding to different model organisms and pivotal role of indispensable hematopoietic pathways. We summarize and discuss the fundamentals of blood formation in both invertebrate and vertebrates, examining the requirement of key signaling nexus in hematopoiesis. Knowledge obtained from such comparative studies associated with developmental dynamics of hematopoiesis is beneficial to explore the therapeutic options for hematopoietic diseases.
Approach to Peptide Decorated Micelles via RAFT Polymerization

Pyridyldisulfide (PDS) functionalized telechelic polymers of oligo(ethyleneglycol) acrylate (PEG-A) and their amphipbilic triblock copolymers with styrene (St) were synthesized directly by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using a new bifunctional RAFT agent, S,S-bis[alpha,alpha'-dimethyl-alpha '' -(2-pyridyl disulfide) ethyl acetatel trithiocarbonate (BDPET). The homopolymerization of PEG-A was found to be well controlled using BDPET (PDI < 1.2). The ABA triblock copolymers poly(PEG-A)-b-poly(St)-b-poly(PEG-A) with narrow molecular weight distribution (PDI < 1.25) were synthesized using poly(PEG-A) as a macro-RAFT agent. UV-vis spectroscopic analysis revealed that 85 mol % of poly(PEG-A) and 78 mol % of poly(PEG-A)-b-poly(St)-b-poly(PEG-A) retained PDS end group functionality. Micelles were observed to form from poly(PEG-A)-b-poly(St)-b-poly(PEG-A). The presence of PDS groups within the micelle corona was evidenced by UV-vis spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The PDS groups within the corona were then used to functionalize the micelles with a thiol group bearing model peptide, reduced glutathione, and a thiol modified fluorophore, rhodamine B, under mild reaction conditions. UV-vis and fluorescence spectrocopies revealed that approximately 80% PDS groups from the amphiphilic copolymer were tethered within the micelle coronas and accessible to glutathione and fluorophore attachment. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 899-912, 2009
Ambient Air Particulate Matter Exposure and Tissue Factor Expression in Atherosclerosis

Recent studies have suggested a link between inhaled particulate matter (PM) exposure and atherogenesis. We investigated tissue factor (TF) expression with ambient fine particulate matter (diameter < 2.5 μ m, PM2.5) exposure and in response to in vitro exposure to fine and ultrafine PM in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells (hSMCs), and monocytes. ApoE−/− mice, fed with normal chow (NC) or high-fat chow (HFC), were exposed to concentrated PM2.5 or filtered air (FA) for 6 mo (6 h/day, 5 day/wk, n = 28). Following in vivo ultrasound bio-microscopy (UBM) assessment of plaque area, macrophage infiltration (CD68) and TF expression in the aorta were quantified. Cultured cells were incubated with size-fractionated PM from cascade impactors, or with standard reference PM material (SRM, number 1649a) and assayed for TF protein, mRNA, and activity. UBM-derived plaque areas were 7 ± 1% larger in the PM2.5-HFC than the FA-HFC group (p = .04), but not significantly different between the PM2.5-NC and FA-NC groups (p = .07). Immunohistochemistry revealed increased TF (15 ± 3% vs. 8 ± 2%, p < .01) and macrophage infiltration (19 ± 2% vs. 14 ± 3%, p < .01) in the plaques of PM2.5-HFC compared with FA-HFC groups. Impactor-collected PM2.5 and ultrafine particles consistently increased TF protein in bronchial epithelial cells, monocytes, and hSMCs. TF mRNA expression increased rapidly (within 1 h) in response to SRM PM. We conclude that in vivo and in vitro exposure to ambient air PM2.5 induces TF expression.
Quasi‐steady state chemical exchange saturation transfer (QUASS CEST) analysis—correction of the finite relaxation delay and saturation time for robust CEST measurement

CEST provides a MR contrast mechanism sensitizing to the exchange between dilute labile and bulk water protons. However, the CEST effect depends on the RF saturation duration and relaxation delay, which need to be long to reach its steady state. Our study aims to estimate the QUAsi‐Steady State (QUASS) CEST signal from experiments with shorter saturation and relaxation delay times.
The Predictive Value of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width for Survival Outcomes of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Targeted Therapy

Abstract Background We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of red cell distribution width (RDW) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with targeted therapy, including sunitinib and pazopanib. Methods A total of 104 mRCC patients were included. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and the long-rank test was used for comparison. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the association between RDW and PFS and OS. Results The PFS and OS of all cohorts were 11.8 mo and 25.9 mo, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that RDW level ≥15.4 was the optimal cutoff value for OS prediction with 73.53% sensitivity and 61.11% specificity (area under curve: 0.64, P = 0.012). RDW level ≥15.4 was found as an independent prognostic parameter for OS when adjusted for the number of covariates, including the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) scoring system (hazard ratio: 1.125, 95% confidence interval: 1.024–2.235, P = 0.014). Conclusions Our study revealed that high RDW level, a routinely and easily assessed marker, was significantly associated with worse survival outcomes in mRCC patients treated with targeted therapy.
Personalized feedback improves cardiovascular risk perception and physical activity levels in persons with HIV: results of a pilot randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT People with HIV (PWH) have an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a tailored intervention aimed at increasing CVD risk perception and the adoption of heart-healthy behaviors in PWH. Forty adults were randomized to receive personalized feedback on CVD risk and discussion of risk reduction or health education. Participants were issued pedometers and seen for two treatment sessions. Participants were 60% male and had a mean age of 51.5 years. Ninety percent of participants completed all study sessions indicating good feasibility and acceptability. A medium effect size for the difference between treatment and control groups was found on both the Perceived Risk for Heart Disease (d = .38) and the Rapid Eating and Activity for Patients scales (d = .56) at 12 weeks. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score moderated the effect of treatment, such that at high (but not low) ASCVD risk, active intervention, compared to control, was associated with a greater increase in steps between baseline and both 8 (d = .38) and 12 weeks (d = .55). Findings provide preliminary evidence that tailored interventions delivered by nurses may be effective for primary prevention of CVD in PWH.
Depth enhancement through correlation‐based guided filtering in shape from focus

Mostly, shape‐from‐focus (SFF) techniques do not consider any guidance or prior information from the input image sequence while improving the depth information. Consequently, the resultant depth maps may have inaccuracies due to missing the fine structural details. In this paper, we propose a depth enhancement method based on a novel guidance map and guided filtering. In the proposed method, first, a focus measure is applied on image sequence (volume) to compute the focus volume and an initial depth map is obtained by maximizing the focus measure in the optical direction. The guidance map is computed based on the correlation among the image volume and the focus volume along the optical axis. Finally, the improved depth map is obtained by applying guided filtering of initial depth by incorporating the weights from the suggested guidance map. Experiments were carried out using synthetic and real and microscopic image sequences of various objects. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method and a reasonable improvement has been achieved in the quality of reconstructed depth maps.
Transcriptional profiling of microglia in the injured brain reveals distinct molecular features underlying neurodegeneration

Neurotrauma has been recognized as a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, and sex difference of the incidence and outcome of neurodegenerative diseases has long been recognized. Past studies suggest that microglia could play a versatile role in both health and disease. So far, the microglial mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and potentially lead to sex‐specific therapies are still very open. Here we applied whole transcriptome analysis of microglia acutely isolated at different timepoints after a cortical stab wound injury to gain insight into genes that might be dysregulated and transcriptionally different between males and females after cortical injury. We found that microglia displayed distinct temporal and sexual molecular signatures of transcriptome after cortical injury. Hypotheses and gene candidates that we presented in the present study could be worthy to be examined to explore the roles of microglia in neurotrauma and in sex‐biased neurodegenerative diseases.
Effect of roasting conditions on the fat, tocopherol, and phytosterol content and antioxidant capacity of the lipid fraction from cocoa beans of different Theobroma cacao L. cultivars

The effect of roasting conditions on the content of fat, tocopherol, and phytosterol and antioxidant capacity of the lipid fraction from cocoa beans of different Theobroma cacao cultivars was investigated. The raw cocoa beans were roasted at four different temperatures (ranging from 110 to 150°C) and three different air humidities (0.3 to 5.0%). The results of this study show that roasting affected significantly the photochemical composition and lipophilic antioxidant activity of cocoa beans. Roasting may lead to significant degradation of α-tocopherol and phytosterols when compared to raw cocoa beans. This was not true in samples roasted at the lowest temperatures and evaluated humidity; these samples had a higher γ- and δ-tocopherol content and antioxidant capacity compared to the raw cocoa beans and samples roasted at other conditions. The present study also revealed that the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of different Theobroma cacao L. cultivars vary markedly. Practical applications: Cocoa beans are the primary raw material used in the manufacture of chocolate products, which can be great source of health-beneficial bioactive compounds such as tocopherols and phytosterols. The differences between varieties in the levels of these bioactive compounds revealed in this study show that it is possible to increase their content in cocoa derived products by choosing an appropriate cultivar. Thermal processing at relatively high temperature may lead to the degradation of tocopherols and phytosterols. Influence of roasting conditions on the tocopherols (A), phytosterols (B), and antioxidant capacity (C) of the lipid fraction from cocoa beans of different Theobroma cacao L. cultivars