Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supramolecular Aggregation of a New Substituted Bis(salicylaldiminato)zinc(II) Schiff-Base Complex Derived from trans-1,2-Diaminocyclohexane

In this contribution is reported the synthesis, characterization, and aggregation properties in solution of a novel Zn(II) complex, (R)-2, derived from the enantiopure chiral trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and a substituted salicylaldehyde. Detailed 1H NMR, DOSY NMR, optical absorption, and circular dichroism spectroscopic studies and chemical evidence allowed to investigate the nature of aggregate species in solution. The high solubility of (R)-2 in solution of the non-coordinating chloroform solvent leads to formation of various aggregates, some of them consisting of large oligomers estimated to contain up to 27 monomeric units. The chiral trans-stereochemistry of the bridging diamine favors a different aggregation mode in these complexes, both in the oligomers and dimers, involving a tetrahedral coordination geometry around the metal center. Overall data suggest the formation of helical oligomers, (ZnL)n, in freshly prepared chloroform solutions which, by standing or heating, evolve towards a more thermodynamically stable, dinuclear double-helicate Zn2L2 dimer.
A Basic Phase Diagram of Neuronal Dynamics

The extreme complexity of the brain has attracted the attention of neuroscientists and other researchers for a long time. More recently, the neuromorphic hardware has matured to provide a new powerful tool to study neuronal dynamics. Here, we study neuronal dynamics using different settings on a neuromorphic chip built with flexible parameters of neuron models. Our unique setting in the network of leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons is to introduce a weak noise environment. We observed three different types of collective neuronal activities, or phases, separated by sharp boundaries, or phase transitions. From this, we construct a rudimentary phase diagram of neuronal dynamics and demonstrate that a noise-induced chaotic phase (N-phase), which is dominated by neuronal avalanche activity (intermittent aperiodic neuron firing), emerges in the presence of noise and its width grows with the noise intensity. The dynamics can be manipulated in this N-phase. Our results and comparison with clinical data is consistent with the literature and our previous work showing that healthy brain must reside in the N-phase. We argue that the brain phase diagram with further refinement may be used for the diagnosis and treatment of mental disease and also suggest that the dynamics may be manipulated to serve as a means of new information processing (e.g., for optimization). Neuromorphic chips, similar to the one we used but with a variety of neuron models, may be used to further enhance the understanding of human brain function and accelerate the development of neuroscience research.
Flightless-I Controls Fat Storage in Drosophila

Triglyceride homeostasis is a key process of normal development and is essential for the maintenance of energy metabolism. Dysregulation of this process leads to metabolic disorders such as obesity and hyperlipidemia. Here, we report a novel function of the Drosophila flightless-I (fliI) gene in lipid metabolism. Drosophila fliI mutants were resistant to starvation and showed increased levels of triglycerides in the fat body and intestine, whereas fliI overexpression decreased triglyceride levels. These flies suffered from metabolic stress indicated by increased levels of trehalose in hemolymph and enhanced phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α). Moreover, upregulation of triglycerides via a knockdown of fliI was reversed by a knockdown of desat1 in the fat body of flies. These results indicate that fliI suppresses the expression of desat1, thereby inhibiting the development of obesity; fliI may, thus, serve as a novel therapeutic target in obesity and metabolic diseases.
Transforming Ates To Ht-Ates, Insights From Dutch Pilot Project

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems combined with a heat pump save energy for space heating and cooling of buildings. In most countries the temperature of the stored heat is allowed up to 25-30°C. However, when heat is available at higher temperatures (e.g. waste heat, solar heat), it is more efficient to store higher temperatures because that improves heat pump performance or makes it unnecessary. Therefore, interest in HT-ATES development is growing. Next to developing new HT-ATES projects, there is also a large potential for additional energy savings by transforming ‘regular’ low-temperature LT-ATES systems to a HT-ATES. Such a transformation is tested for a greenhouse system in the Netherlands. This greenhouse has a LT-ATES system operational since 2012, and from 2015 onwards heat is stored in the warm well at temperatures up to 45°C. In this HT-ATES transformation pilot, water quality parameters are closely monitored as well as temperature distribution in the subsurface (using DTS). Together with the operators, the results from the ATES monitoring are used to continuously improve system performance. Numerical groundwater and heat flow simulations of actual and expected well pumping data are used to evaluate how well operation can be optimized. In this paper, the optimization using monitoring results and simulations is discussed as well as general and site specific lessons/conclusions for such transformations.
Using the American Thyroid Association Risk-Stratification System to Refine and Individualize the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition Disease-Specific Survival Estimates in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system has reclassified up to one third of differentiated thyroid cancer patients into one of the younger prognostic stage groups (<55 years of age at diagnosis, stage I or stage II). This reclassification widens the spectrum of disease in these lower stages without significantly impacting overall disease-specific survival (DSS) for the entire stage group. However, the optimistic DSS estimates in the <55-year-old stage groups may not accurately reflect the prognosis of individual patients with American Thyroid Association (ATA) high-risk features. Therefore, the aim of this study was to integrate the ATA risk classification system into the eighth edition AJCC staging system to refine and individualize DSS estimates for differentiated thyroid cancer patients aged <55 years at diagnosis. METHODS Using the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center tumor registry, 4881 adult DTC patients aged <55 years at diagnosis receiving initial therapy between 1980 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Using Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center registry coded data, all patients were assigned an eighth edition AJCC stage (I or II), ATA risk of recurrence (low, intermediate, or high), and age group at diagnosis (younger patients defined as ≤45 years old, older patients defined as 45-55 years old). The primary outcome was 10-year DSS. RESULTS A total of 122 (2.5%) disease-related deaths were observed in the cohort of 4881 patients during a median follow-up of 6.6 years. Integration of the AJCC stage, ATA risk, and age groups identified six subgroups with differing outcomes: (i) stage I/ATA low risk, younger and older, 100% DSS; (ii) stage I/ATA intermediate risk, younger and older, 98% DSS; (iii) stage I/ATA high risk, younger, 95% DSS; (iv) stage I/ATA high risk, older, 89% DSS; (v) stage II/ATA high risk, younger, 78% DSS; and (vi) stage II/ATA high risk, older, 61% DSS. CONCLUSIONS Integration of AJCC stage, ATA risk, and age group (i) identifies six subgroups of patients with progressively worse DSS as AJCC stage, ATA risk, and age increases, and (ii) provides a more individualized estimate of DSS, especially in ATA high-risk patients.
New Tetrahydroisoquinoline Derivatives Overcome Pgp Activity in Brain-Blood Barrier and Glioblastoma Multiforme in Vitro

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) determines resistance to a broad spectrum of drugs used against glioblastoma multiforme (GB). Indeed, Pgp is highly expressed in GB stem cells and in the brain-blood barrier (BBB), the peculiar endothelium surrounding the brain. Inhibiting Pgp activity in the BBB and GB is still an open challenge. Here, we tested the efficacy of a small library of tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives with an EC50 for Pgp ≤ 50 nM, in primary human BBB cells and in patient-derived GB samples, from which we isolated differentiated/adherent cells (AC, i.e., Pgp-negative/doxorubicin-sensitive cells) and stem cells (neurospheres, NS, i.e., Pgp-positive/doxorubicin-resistant cells). Three compounds used at 1 nM increased the delivery of doxorubicin, a typical substrate of Pgp, across BBB monolayer, without altering the expression and activity of other transporters. The compounds increased the drug accumulation within NS, restoring doxorubicin-induced necrosis and apoptosis, and reducing cell viability. In co-culture systems, the compounds added to the luminal face of BBB increased the delivery of doxorubicin to NS growing under BBB and rescued the drug’s cytotoxicity. Our work identified new ligands of Pgp active at low nanomolar concentrations. These compounds reduce Pgp activity in BBB and GB and improve in vitro chemotherapy efficacy in this tumor.
Spreading inequality: neural computations underlying paying-it-forward reciprocity

Abstract People tend to pay the generosity they receive from a person forward to someone else even if they have no chance to reciprocate directly. This phenomenon, known as paying-it-forward (PIF) reciprocity, crucially contributes to the maintenance of a cooperative human society by passing kindness among strangers and has been widely studied in evolutionary biology. To further examine its neural implementation and underlying computations, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging together with computational modeling. In a modified PIF paradigm, participants first received a monetary split (i.e. greedy, equal or generous) from either a human partner or a computer. They then chose between two options involving additional amounts of money to be allocated between themselves and an uninvolved person. Behaviorally, people forward the previously received greed/generosity towards a third person. The social impact of previous treatments is integrated into computational signals in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the right temporoparietal junction during subsequent decision making. Our findings provide insights to understand the proximal origin of PIF reciprocity.
Rey Figure Test with recognition trial: normative data for Lebanese adults

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to provide normative data for four trials of the Rey figure Test – a complex design used to assess visuoconstructional abilities, aspects of visual memory, and aspects of executive functioning. Despite its frequent clinical and research use in the Arab region, published studies regarding the measures’ adaptation or normative data remain absent. Method: We administered the Rey figure on a convenience sample of Lebanese (n = 254) aged 30 years to 99. Results: We examined the impact of relevant demographics, and found that age, gender, and years of education impacted scores, and norms were derived based on these variables. Such normative data for the Rey figure enhance its practicality and psychometric adequacy for use in research and clinical settings in Lebanon.
Molecular Genetics of Frontotemporal Dementia Elucidated by Drosophila Models—Defects in Endosomal–Lysosomal Pathway

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common senile neurodegenerative disease. FTD is a heterogeneous disease that can be classified into several subtypes. A mutation in CHMP2B locus (CHMP2Bintron5), which encodes a component of endosomal sorting complex required for transport-III (ESCRT-III), is associated with a rare hereditary subtype of FTD linked to chromosome 3 (FTD-3). ESCRT is involved in critical cellular processes such as multivesicular body (MVB) formation during endosomal–lysosomal pathway and autophagy. ESCRT mutants causes diverse physiological defects primarily due to accumulation of endosomes and defective MVBs resulting in misregulation of signaling pathways. Charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B) is important for neuronal physiology which especially rely on precise regulation of protein homeostasis due to their post-mitotic status. Drosophila has proven to be an excellent model for charaterization of mechanistic underpinning of neurodegenerative disorders including FTD. In this review, current understanding of various FTD-related mutations is discussed with a focus on Drosophila models of CHMP2Bintron5-associated FTD.
The Role of Tomato WRKY Genes in Plant Responses to Combined Abiotic and Biotic Stresses

In the field, plants constantly face a plethora of abiotic and biotic stresses that can impart detrimental effects on plants. In response to multiple stresses, plants can rapidly reprogram their transcriptome through a tightly regulated and highly dynamic regulatory network where WRKY transcription factors can act as activators or repressors. WRKY transcription factors have diverse biological functions in plants, but most notably are key players in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In tomato there are 83 WRKY genes identified. Here we review recent progress on functions of these tomato WRKY genes and their homologs in other plant species, such as Arabidopsis and rice, with a special focus on their involvement in responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. In particular, we highlight WRKY genes that play a role in plant responses to a combination of abiotic and biotic stresses.
International Workshop on Web Search and Data Mining ( WSDM ) April 29-May 2 , 2019 , Leuven , Belgium Recommendation of collaborative filtering for a technological surveillance model using Multi-Dimension Tensor Factorization

Technological surveillance in research centers and universities focuses on carrying out a systematic follow-up on the development of research lines, the research leaders, the possibilities of scientific-technological collaboration, and to the knowledge of current trends from research. All these elements allow guiding the researches and supporting the scientific-technological strategy. This research proposes a model of technological surveillance supported by a recommendation system as an application that focuses on the preferences of researchers in universities and research centers. The multidimensional tensor factorization approach, based on grouping to build a recommendation system and to validate the increase in tensors, improves the accuracy of the recommendation. The experiments have been carried out in real data sets as the university and research centers. The results confirm that the dispersion issues are improved within a wider margin in both data sets. In addition, the proposed approach states that the increase in the number of dimensions shows a 7-10% improvement in accuracy and memory, which increases performance as an expert recommendation system. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Peer-review under responsibility of the Conference Program Chairs.
The Bile Sequestrant Cholestyramine Increases Survival in a Rabbit Model of Brodifacoum Poisoning

Patients exposed to long acting anticoagulant rodenticides (LAARs) are typically administered large amounts of oral vitamin K1 (VK1) to counteract life-threatening anticoagulant effects. Although VK1 treatment effectively prevents mortality, additional methods are needed to reduce the long duration of VK1 treatment which can last for months at high expense. We developed a model of brodifacoum (BDF) poisoning, one of the most potent LAARs, in adult male New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. The LD50 for oral BDF was determined to be 192 μg/kg, similar to that calculated for adult rats. However, in contrast to rats, NZW rabbits exhibited severe internal hemorrhage including in the brain, symptoms which mimic what occurs in cases of human poisoning. Similar to warfarin, BDF and other LAARs undergo enterohepatic recirculation which contributes to their long half-lives. We therefore tested effects of cholestyramine (CSA), an FDA-approved bile sequestrant, on BDF-induced mortality. When given daily (0.67 g/kg, oral) starting the day of BDF administration, CSA reduced mortality from 67% to 11%. At the same CSA prevented the increase in clotting time, and reduced the decrease in core body temperature due to BDF. Given its excellent safety record and that it is approved for children older than 6 years, these findings suggest CSA could be considered as an adjunct to VK1 for treatment of LAAR poisoning.
Development of Perovskite-Type Materials for Thermoelectric Application

Oxide perovskite materials have a long history of being investigated for thermoelectric applications. Compared to the state-of-the-art tin and lead chalcogenides, these perovskite compounds have advantages of low toxicity, eco-friendliness, and high elemental abundance. However, because of low electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, the total thermoelectric performance of oxide perovskites is relatively poor. Variety of methods were used to enhance the TE properties of oxide perovskite materials, such as doping, inducing oxygen vacancy, embedding crystal imperfection, and so on. Recently, hybrid perovskite materials started to draw attention for thermoelectric application. Due to the low thermal conductivity and high Seebeck coefficient feature of hybrid perovskites materials, they can be promising thermoelectric materials and hold the potential for the application of wearable energy generators and cooling devices. This mini-review will build a bridge between oxide perovskites and burgeoning hybrid halide perovskites in the research of thermoelectric properties with an aim to further enhance the relevant performance of perovskite-type materials.
ONE KERNEL TO RULE THEM ALL

Context. The paradigm of virtualization is rapidly changing due to hardware optimization and capabilities, while also due to rapid development and deployment strategies used in the modern day IT industry. Just like the positive changes, negative effects are necessary to occur in order to improve modern day technologies. This final year project takes a look at both the positive and negatives by exploring how containers are relevant to modern day computing and how they are affected by the patch that mitigates the Meltdown CPU vulnerabilities discovered in mid-2017 in terms of performance. Looking at the trade-off between information security and performance by taking an in-depth approach with a take on the core functionalities of the Linux Kernel. This paper succeeded to identify system call costs that between a secure and non-secure Linux kernel in the context of a containerized environment. Objectives. This study examines the effects of the KAISER security patch aimed to mitigate microprocessor vulnerabilities related to Meltdown. The investigated effect is the performance as the cost of system calls under the condition of a non-KAISER and a KAISER enabled Linux kernel. The intent is to increase the transparency of how a major security patch such as KAISER affects the system. Methods. A quantitative experimental study is conducted. One single Debian Stretch node is used with two different treatments. First micro-benchmarks are run without a KAISER enabled kernel which later is compared with a KAISER enabled kernel. The measuring point is the time one single system call takes in a sequence of 1 000 000 system calls. Results. First macro-benchmarks were conducted to see what a performance loss would look like on an application level. This proved to introduce many superfluous factors which made it difficult to use system calls as a measuring point. In the end a comparison between the two kernels was done. This indicated that the cost per system differed roughly 29% in time. Conclusions. The results indicate that a large performance loss is identified. However, this does not indicate that all activities on a computer will suffer from this loss. The performance loss the end-user will experience all depends on the amount of system calls generated from one single set of instructions. The performance loss can be neglected if these instructions generating a low amount of system calls. These results should not be used as evidence to favor performance over information security in real life applications and implementations but rather as a motivation to meet the two aspects.
A Novel Biomimetic Tool for Assessing Vitamin K Status Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

Vitamin K was originally discovered as a cofactor required to activate clotting factors and has recently been shown to play a key role in the regulation of soft tissue calcification. This property of vitamin K has led to an increased interest in novel methods for accurate vitamin K detection. Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) could offer a solution, as they have been used as synthetic receptors in a large variety of biomimetic sensors for the detection of similar molecules over the past few decades, because of their robust nature and remarkable selectivity. In this article, the authors introduce a novel imprinting approach to create a MIP that is able to selectively rebind vitamin K1. As the native structure of the vitamin does not allow for imprinting, an alternative imprinting strategy was developed, using the synthetic compound menadione (vitamin K3) as a template. Target rebinding was analyzed by means of UV-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy and two custom-made thermal readout techniques. This analysis reveals that the MIP-based sensor reacts to an increasing concentration of both menadione and vitamin K1. The Limit of Detection (LoD) for both compounds was established at 700 nM for the Heat Transfer Method (HTM), while the optimized readout approach, Thermal Wave Transport Analysis (TWTA), displayed an increased sensitivity with a LoD of 200 nM. The sensor seems to react to a lesser extent to Vitamin E, the analogue under study. To further demonstrate its potential application in biochemical research, the sensor was used to measure the absorption of vitamin K in blood serum after taking vitamin K supplements. By employing a gradual enrichment strategy, the sensor was able to detect the difference between baseline and peak absorption samples and was able to quantify the vitamin K concentration in good agreement with a validation experiment using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). In this way, the authors provide a first proof of principle for a low-cost, straightforward, and label-free vitamin K sensor.