Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical Properties and Swelling Behavior of Fe3O4 Functionalized Graphene Oxide Composite Thin Film

The optical characterization and gas sensing properties of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> functionalized graphene oxide (GO) composite [Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-(3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane GO (APTES-GO)] thin film are discussed in this paper by using spin coating, UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements, Surface Plasmon Resonance, and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) techniques. The Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-APTES-GO thin films with thickness in the range between 14 and 31 nm have been successfully prepared, when films were spun at speeds between 1000 and 4000 rpm with a refractive index values of between 1.32 and 1.37. In this paper, the swelling behaviors of the Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-APTES-GO thin films were investigated with respect to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at room temperature by using the QCM method. The swelling processes could be investigated using the early-time Fick’s law of diffusion. Diffusion coefficients were found to be <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$24.17\times 10^{\mathrm {\mathbf {-16}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$13.99\times 10^{\mathrm {\mathbf {-16}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.97\times 10^{\mathrm {\mathbf {-16}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.73\times 10^{\mathrm {\mathbf {-16}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm<sup>2</sup><inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{s}^{\mathrm {\mathbf {-1}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for dichloromethane, chloroform, benzene, and toluene vapors, respectively. The response of the Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-APTES-GO films to the these VOCs has been investigated in the conditions of physical properties of the solvents, and the films were obtained to be largely sensitive to dichloromethane and chloroform vapors compared with other studied vapors.
Energy efficient reliable transport protocol for re-tasking in wireless sensor network

Wireless sensor network is a special form of wireless networks dedicated to surveillance and monitoring applications. Reliability in wireless sensor network is application specific. That is the specific form of reliability might change from application to application. Our idea is to generate a reliability based transport protocol that is customizable to meet the needs of emerging reliable data applications in sensor networks and is also adaptive when the nodes are highly mobile. In our approach, clusters are formed for minimizing energy dissipation. Nodes maintain a neighbor list to forward data. If a node senses any topological change, it can trigger updates to its neighbor list and it can spontaneously re-send all of its data thus providing reliable transport even in mobility conditions. This approach has five phases namely-setup, relaying, relay initiated error recovery, selective status reporting and node supervising. Simulation results reveals that the proposed approach outperforms the existing related techniques and is highly responsive to the various errors and mobility conditions experienced in sensor networks.
The impact of increasing body mass on peak and mean plantar pressure in asymptomatic adult subjects during walking

Introduction : The implication of high peak plantar pressure on foot pathology in individuals both with and without diabetes has been recognized. The aim of this study was to investigate and clarify the relationship between increasing body mass and peak and mean plantar pressure in an asymptomatic adult population during walking. Methods : Thirty adults without any relevant medical history, structural foot deformities or foot posture assessed as highly pronated or supinated, and within a normal body mass index range were included in the study. An experimental, same subjects, repeated measures design was used. Peak and mean plantar pressure were evaluated with the F-Scan in-shoe plantar pressure measurement system under four different loading conditions (0, 5, 10, and 15 kg) simulated with a weighted vest. Pressure data were gathered from three stances utilizing the mid-gait protocol. Results : There were statistically significant increases in peak pressure between the 10 and 15 kg load conditions compared to the control (0 kg) within the heel and second to fifth metatarsal regions. The first metatarsal and hallux regions only displayed statistically significant increases in peak pressure between 15 kg and the control (0 kg). The midfoot and lesser digits regions did not display any statistically significant differences in peak pressure between any load conditions compared to the control (0 kg). The second to fifth metatarsal region displayed statistically significant increases in mean pressure in the 5, 10 and 15 kg groups compared to the control (0 kg). A statistically significant increase in peak pressure between the 15 kg and control (0 kg) group was evident in all other regions. Conclusion : The relationship between increasing body mass and peak and mean plantar pressure was dependent upon the plantar region. This study provides more detail outlining the response of peak and mean pressure to different loading conditions than previously reported in the literature. Further research including measurement of temporal parameters is warranted.
Mesoscopic enhancement of optical nonlinearity in CuCl quantum dots: Giant-oscillator-strength effect on confined excitons.

We investigate size-dependent nonlinear polarization due to Wannier excitons confined in CuCl quantum dots (QD's) with a radius R of 15-80 A embedded in glass. The third-order optical susceptibility χ (3) measured at 80 K increnses ns a function of radius and subsequently decreases after reaching a maximum value of 2×10 -6 esu at R∼50 A. Homogeneous widths and longitudinal relaxation times were also measured and the results were analyzed taking into account a two-level atomic model. We obtain evidence that the size-dependent χ (3) originates from the size-dependent oscillator strength of coherently generated excitons in the QD
Specificity of Plasma Membrane Targeting by the Rous Sarcoma Virus Gag Protein

ABSTRACT Budding of C-type retroviruses begins when the viral Gag polyprotein is directed to the plasma membrane by an N-terminal membrane-binding (M) domain. While dispersed basic amino acids within the M domain are critical for stable membrane association and consequent particle assembly, additional residues or motifs may be required for specific plasma membrane targeting and binding. We have identified an assembly-defective Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) Gag mutant that retains significant membrane affinity despite having a deletion of the fourth alpha-helix of the M domain. Examination of the mutant protein's subcellular distribution revealed that it was not localized to the plasma membrane but instead was mistargeted to intracytoplasmic membranes. Specific plasma membrane targeting was restored by the addition of myristate plus a single basic residue, by multiple basic residues, or by the heterologous hydrophobic membrane-binding domain from the cellular Fyn protein. These results suggest that the fourth alpha-helix of the RSV M domain promotes specific targeting of Gag to the plasma membrane, either through a direct interaction with plasma membrane phospholipids or a membrane-associated cellular factor or by maintaining the conformation of Gag to expose specific plasma membrane targeting sequences.
The coat protein of the yeast double-stranded RNA virus L-A attaches covalently to the cap structure of eukaryotic mRNA

The eukaryotic mRNA 5' cap structure m7GpppX (where X is any nucleotide) interacts with a number of cellular proteins. Several of these proteins were studied in mammalian, yeast, and drosophila cells and found to be involved in translation initiation. Here we describe a novel cap-binding protein, the coat protein of L-A, a double-stranded RNA virus that is persistently maintained in many Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The results also suggest that the coat protein of a related double-stranded RNA virus (L-BC) is likewise a cap-binding protein. Strikingly, in contrast to the cellular cap-binding proteins, the interaction between the L-A virus coat protein and the cap structure is through a covalent bond.
A SOA-Based Embedded Systems Development Environment for Industrial Automation

Currently available toolsets for the development of embedded systems adopt traditional architectural styles and do not cover the whole requirements of the development process, with extensibility being the major drawback. In this paper, a service-oriented architectural framework that exploits semantic web is defined. Features required in the development process are defined as web services and published into the public domain, so as to be used on demand by developers to construct their projects' specific integrated development environments (IDEs). The infrastructure required to build a web service-based IDE is presented. Specific web services are defined and the way these services affect the development process is discussed. Special focus is given on the device model and the means that such a modelling can significantly improve the development process. A prototype implementation demonstrates the applicability and usefulness of the proposed demand-led development process in the industrial automation domain.
Electric Springs for Reducing Power Imbalance in Three-Phase Power Systems

Electric springs have been used previously in stabilizing mains voltage fluctuation in power grid fed by intermittent renewable energy sources. This paper describes a new three-phase electric spring circuit and its new operation in reducing power imbalance in the three-phase power system of a building. Based on government energy use data for tall buildings, the electric loads are classified as critical and noncritical loads so that building energy model can be developed. The proposed electric spring is connected in series with the noncritical loads to form a new generation of smart loads. A control scheme for such smart loads to reduce power imbalance within the building's electric power system has been evaluated initially with an experimental prototype and then in a system simulation study. The results have confirmed the effectiveness of the new three-phase electric springs in reducing power imbalance and voltage fluctuation, making the building loads adaptive to internal load changes and external mains voltage changes.
Discorhabdins from the Korean marine sponge Sceptrella sp.

Two new pyrroloiminoquinone alkaloids of the discorhabdin class, along with 12 compounds including one previously described synthetic derivative of the same and related skeletal classes, were isolated from the sponge Sceptrella sp. , collected from Gageodo, Korea. The structures of these new compounds, designated as (-)-3-dihydrodiscorhabdin D (11) and (-)-discorhabdin Z (12), were determined by combined spectroscopic analyses. Compound 12 possesses an unusual hemiaminal group among the discorhabdin alkaloids. These compounds exhibited moderate to significant cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity, and inhibitory activity against sortase A.
ACUTE PAIN & PERIOPERATIVE PAIN SECTION Original Research Article Incidence of Chronic Postsurgical Pain (CPSP) after General Surgery

Objective. This study investigated the incidence and determinants of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in a general surgical patient population. Design. This is a prospective cross-sectional study at a university-affiliated clinic/level 1 trauma center. Patients were followed at least 1 year postoperatively. By surgical discipline, procedures were 50% orthopedic/trauma, 33% general (abdominal/ visceral), and 17% vascular. Setting. All patients admitted during one year (N = 3020) were eligible. Exclusion criteria were cognitive impairment, communication/language barrier, nonoperative treatment, and refusal to participate. A CPSP questionnaire was completed. Step-by-step analysis followed with a 2 nd questionnaire to detect CPSP with numeric rating scale (NRS) pain intensity ≥ 3. Finally, individual follow-up examinations were performed. (30.2%).
NMR metabolomics and drug discovery

NMR is an integral component of the drug discovery process with applications in lead discovery, validation, and optimization. NMR is routinely used for fragment‐based ligand affinity screens, high‐resolution protein structure determination, and rapid protein‐ligand co‐structure modeling. Because of this inherent versatility, NMR is currently making significant contributions in the burgeoning area of metabolomics, where NMR is successfully being used to identify biomarkers for various diseases, to analyze drug toxicity and to determine a drug's in vivo efficacy and selectivity. This review describes advances in NMR‐based metabolomics and discusses some recent applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Adoption of Cloud Computing Services: the Moderating effect of Organizational Culture

Potential benefits of using cloud computing services are remarkable. However, organizations still hesitate to use it because of the challenges of using such services, including service availability, data security and privacy, and system standard and data transferability. Additionally, organizational culture is recognized to have significant influence on organizations’ adoption of cloud computing services. Recent studies of cloud computing services mainly focus on its economic benefits, technical application, and performance. Nevertheless, very few studies have investigated it from the perspective of organizational culture. Consequently, this research adopts the Information System Success model as a theoretical basis to develop a theoretical model for investigating the impact of organizational culture on organizations’ intention of using cloud computing services. The research results are expected to shed lights on how the system quality, information quality, and service quality of cloud computing services may influence user satisfaction and intention to use such services in organizations, and how different types of organizational cultures may moderate the influence of system-related quality factors on users’ intention to use cloud computing services.
DNA fingerprinting by infrequent-restriction-site amplification

Identification of bacterial strains by DNA fingerprinting facilitates epidemiologic studies and improves disease control. For some species of organisms, no typing method is available; for others, typing methods are tedious. We developed a method of amplifying DNA sequences flanking infrequent restriction sites by PCR and used the method to produce strain-specific electrophoretic patterns from crude bacterial lysates. This method of fingerprinting is rapid, sensitive, and widely applicable. Identical enzymes, adaptors, primers, and PCR conditions were used to characterize 32 Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare isolates, 4 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates, and 4 Staphylococcus aureus isolates.
Composition of non-concentric triangular split ring resonators and wire strip for dual-band negative index metamaterials

A novel dual-band negative index metamaterial comprised of non-concentric and different-sized triangular shape resonators with wire strip is presented. The proposed structure provides two distinct resonant frequencies in the microwave region. Effective medium parameters of this metamaterial structure are extracted using retrieval method to demonstrate the presence of the mentioned frequencies. The results show that the proposed novel metamaterial can be useful alternative to the known counterparts especially when a dual band operation is needed at the frequency region of interest.
Assortative mating and divorce: evidence from Austrian register data

Summary. We show that changes in assortative mating patterns along the dimensions of age, ethnicity, religion and education are not responsible for the increasing marital instability over the last four decades in Austria. Without the rise in the age at marriage, divorce rates would be considerably higher. Immigration and secularization, and the resulting supply of spouses with diverse ethnicity and religious denominations had no overall effect on divorce rates. Countervailing effects—in line with theoretical predictions–offset each other. The rise in the incidence of divorce is most probably caused by increased social acceptance of divorce.
Proceedings of the Symposium ‘Angiotensin AT1 Receptors: From Molecular Physiology to Therapeutics’: PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIONS OF ANGIOTENSIN II MEDIATED BY AT1 AND AT2 RECEPTORS IN THE BRAIN

1 Autoradiographic binding studies have shown that the AT1 receptor is the predominant angiotensin II (AngII) receptor subtype in the central nervous system (CNS). Major sites of AT1 receptors are the lamina terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, the lateral parabrachial nucleus, rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla, nucleus of the solitary tract and the intermediolateral cell column of the thoraco‐lumbar spinal cord. 2 While there are differences between species, AT2 receptors are found mainly in the cerebellum, inferior olive and locus coeruleus of the rat. 3 Circulating AngII acts on AT1 receptors in the subfornical organ and organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) to stimulate neurons that may have a role in initiating water drinking. 4 Centrally administered AngII may act on AT1 receptors in the median preoptic nucleus and elsewhere to induce drinking, sodium appetite, a sympathetic vasoconstrictor response and vasopressin secretion. 5 Recent evidence shows that centrally administered AT1 antagonists inhibit dipsogenic, natriuretic, pressor and vasopressin secretory responses to intracerebroventricular infusion of hypertonic saline. This suggests that an angiotensinergic neural pathway has a role in osmoregulatory responses. 6 Central angiotensinergic pathways which include neural inputs to the rostral ventrolateral medulla may use AT1 receptors and play a role in the function of sympathetic pathways maintaining arterial pressure.
Automaticity, Resources, and Memory: Theoretical Controversies and Practical Implications

This article describes a theoretical controversy over the nature of automaticity and suggests implications of the controversy for the design of training programs. One side of the controversy describes automaticity in terms of processing resources, in that automatic processes require little or no resources. The other side describes automaticity as a memory phenomenon dependent on direct-access, single-step retrieval from memory. The two sides differ in their ability to account for four basic questions about automaticity: (1) why automatic processing has the properties it does; (2) how automaticity is learned; (3) how the properties of automaticity emerge with practice, and (4) why consistency of practice is so important to the development of automaticity. The memory view provides better answers than the resource view, particularly for questions about training. Training is an important practical issue, and implications of the memory view for training are spelled out in some detail.
[Penetrance of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy in Chinese individuals with mitochondrial DNA 11778 mutation].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the penetrance of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in families with homoplasmic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) 11778 mutation. METHODS Maternal relatives of 16 families were analyzed based on ocular phenotype and primary mtDNA mutation analysis. RESULTS One hundred and thirty individuals from the 16 families harbored the 11778 mutation. Of the 130 individuals, 65 were male and 65 female. Forty-three individuals (34 male and 9 female) were affected with LHON. The penetrance of LHON in the 16 families ranged from 13.3% to 66.7%, with an average penetrance of 33.1%. Males, with an average penetrance of 52.3%, were more affected than females who had an average penetrance of 13.8%. About 79% of the affected individuals were male with a male to female ratio of 3.8: 1. The number of affected females found in the families analysis is greater than that in the probands analysis where only 3 of 41 probands with LHON and mtDNA11778 mutation were female(male to female ratio =12.7:1). CONCLUSION The penetrance of LHON in Chinese individuals with homoplasmic mtDNA11778 mutation is about one third,which is within the range of that in Caucasion.
Thromboelastography-guided transfusion algorithm reduces transfusions in complex cardiac surgery.

UNLABELLED Transfusion therapy after cardiac surgery is empirically guided, partly due to a lack of specific point-of-care hemostasis monitors. In a randomized, blinded, prospective trial, we studied cardiac surgical patients at moderate to high risk of transfusion. Patients were randomly assigned to either a thromboelastography (TEG)-guided transfusion algorithm (n = 53) or routine transfusion therapy (n = 52) for intervention after cardiopulmonary bypass. Coagulation tests, TEG variables, mediastinal tube drainage, and transfusions were compared at multiple time points. There were no demographic or hemostatic test result differences between groups, and all patients were given prophylactic antifibrinolytic therapy. Intraoperative transfusion rates did not differ, but there were significantly fewer postoperative and total transfusions in the TEG group. The proportion of patients receiving fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) was 4 of 53 in the TEG group compared with 16 of 52 in the control group (P < 0.002). Patients receiving platelets were 7 of 53 in the TEG group compared with 15 of 52 in the control group (P < 0.05). Patients in the TEG group also received less volume of FFP (36 +/- 142 vs 217 +/- 463 mL; P < 0.04). Mediastinal tube drainage was not statistically different 6, 12, or 24 h postoperatively. Point-of-care coagulation monitoring using TEG resulted in fewer transfusions in the postoperative period. We conclude that the reduction in transfusions may have been due to improved hemostasis in these patients who had earlier and specific identification of the hemostasis abnormality and thus received more appropriate intraoperative transfusion therapy. These data support the use of TEG in an algorithm to guide transfusion therapy in complex cardiac surgery. IMPLICATIONS Transfusion of allogeneic blood products is common during complex cardiac surgical procedures. In a prospective, randomized trial, we compared a transfusion algorithm using point-of-care coagulation testing with routine laboratory testing, and found the algorithm to be effective in reducing transfusion requirements.
FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE VALIDATION OF THE ITALIAN VERSION OF THE WIJMA DELIVERY EXPECTANCY/EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE (WDEQ)

This work tests the psychometric features of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (WDEQ), a self-report instrument that measures the fear of childbirth, in an Italian sample. To 522 Italian primiparous women attending antenatal classes, the following assessments were administered: Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (Wijma, Wijma, & Zar, 1998), StateTrait Anxiety Inventory (Pedrabissi & Santinello, 1996; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (Benvenuti, Ferrara, Niccolai, Valoriali, & Cox, 1999; Cox, Holden, & Sagovsky, 1987), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Dazzi, Pedrabissi, & Santinello, 2004; Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991). The WDEQ shows good psychometric properties even regarding the Italian primiparous population, but the analyses suggest a reduction in the number of items. The factorial structure identified both in the pre-natal (WDEQ-A) and the post-partum (WDEQ-B) version consists of three factors: fear, negative feelings, and lack of confidence. The questionnaire measures expectations (WDEQ-A) and personal experience (WDEQ-B) of childbirth. The fear factor represents a specific dimension of the scale.