Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polyethylenimine and liposome-based non-viral vectors for gene delivery /

The ultimate goal of gene therapy is to cure both inherited and acquired diseases by replacing, adding or correcting genes. Vectors designed for gene delivery can be divided into two general categories: viral and non-viral. Viral vectors use replication deficient viruses to transfer genetic material into cells. Non-viral vectors, such as polyethylenimine (PEI) and liposome-based vectors, are synthetic carriers that utilize physico-chemical methods for gene delivery. Currently, the main limitations of non-viral vectors for gene therapy are their relatively inefficient gene delivery, lack o f tissue specificity, and toxicity. This dissertation outlines the development and evaluation of novel PEI and liposome-based non-viral transfection vectors designed to improve gene transfer efficiency and vector stability while reducing toxicity. Initially, using amine reactive reducible cross-linking reagents, relatively high molecular weight (HMW) PEI polymers were synthesized from low molecular weight (LMW) PEI monomers. The goal was to take advantage of the high transfection efficiency observed using transfection vectors prepared with HMW PEI, along with the decreased toxicity obtained using vectors prepared with LMW PEI. Using this strategy, efficient gene transfer was observed in vitro, and transfection related toxicity was reduced (Chapter 2). Next, in an effort to optimize transfection vectors comprised of polycation condensed DNA (polyplex) complexed with anionic liposomes, termed LPDU, a novel anionic
Dietary factors modulating postprandial protein handling

The aging process is associated with loss of muscle mass and reduced strength. This increases the risk of falls and fractures and can greatly reduce quality of life for older people. In addition to getting adequate exercise, it's important to eat a protein-rich diet to stimulate muscle growth. The degree to which muscle growth is stimulated depends on the composition of our diet. This dissertation found that different nutritional factors influence protein digestion and muscle building. Optimising protein intake and ensuring the maximum stimulation of muscle building after each meal can help us maintain muscle mass as we age.
Product involvement, WOM and eWOM in the fast food industry: A young adult perspective in an emerging African economy

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between product involvement, WOM, and eWOM in the fast food industry between two sub-groups of young adult consumers in South Africa. A quantitative design was followed, with primary data (n = 201) gathered from respondents using a self-administered questionnaire. The results suggest that product involvement exerts a positive and significant influence on WOM and eWOM in the case of both young adult sub-groups. There is also no difference in the perceptions of the two sub-groups of young adults concerning product involvement, WOM, and eWOM. Product involvement is found to play an important role in spreading WOM and eWOM in the fast food industry, and is proposed as an important focus area for managers.
A 9 cm robotic thymectomy and pericardial repair case report

In the modern surgical era, improved technology has allowed for the increasing use of the robotic platform for thymoma resection. Historically, tumors >5 cm were deemed inappropriate for minimally invasive approaches; thoracic surgeons, however, have become adept with performing increasingly complex thymectomies using minimally invasive techniques. Excision of large thymomas using the robotic platform is no longer considered a rare event, however few publications have described the use of minimally invasive surgery for en bloc excision of the pericardium with mesh reconstruction. We present a case of an asymptomatic, incidentally discovered 9 cm thymoma involving the pericardium and right lung upper lobe that was resected via bilateral robotic-assisted thymectomy en bloc with wedge resection and pericardial resection with mesh reconstruction. The case highlights the use of the robotic platform to avoid a conversion to open thymectomy. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 3 with minimal pain and narcotic requirement. We aim to contribute to the existing literature supporting the use of the robotic platform during complex thymectomy. The associated video presentation serves as a visual instructional guide for the thymoma resection, en bloc with the right upper lobe and pericardium and the pericardial reconstruction. This minimally invasive technique has been associated with shorter hospital stay, reduced pain and faster recovery.
SENYAWA INHIBITOR α-GLUKOSIDASE DAN ANTIOKSIDAN DARI KUMIS KUCING DENGAN PENDEKATAN METABOLOMIK BERBASIS FTIR

Plant is well known as an excellent source for bioactive compounds. Metabolomics was reported as a potential tool to accelerate plant acitive compounds identification. In this research, FTIR-based metabolomics method was used to identify active compounds with α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activity in aerial parts of Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) extract and its fractions. Chemical profile of OS methanolic extracts and hexane, chloroform, butanol, and water fractions were analyzed using infrared spectroscopy. OS extracts and fractions showed inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase enzymes with IC50 value 154.07±30.60-465.83±85.34 µg/mL and antioxidant activity with IC50 value 7.41±0.02-19.35±0.09 µg/mL. Butanol fraction was the fraction with the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 value between 154.07±30.60 µg/mL and 10.84±0.54 µg/mL, respectively. The correlation between the biological activity and chemical composition data were analyzed using Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures (OPLS). Based on the VIP (variable influence on projection), the coefficient value of the respective OPLS models, and IR database of compounds previously identified in OS, it was suggested that methoxy flavonoid (sinensitin and 5,6,7,3’-tetramethoxy-4’-hydroxy-8-C-preny-lflavone), diterpenes (orthosiphols, orthoarisins, neoorthosiphols, staminols, and staminolactones) and triterpenes (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, hydroxybetulinic acid, maslinic acid, α-amyrin and β-amyrin) were identified as responsible compounds for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Meanwhile phenolic (rosmarinic acid), methoxy flavonoid (eupatorin, sinensetin, 5-hydroxy-6,7,3’,4’-tetramethoxyflavone, salvigenin, 6-hydroxy-5,7,3’-trimethoxyflavone and 5,6,7,3’-tetramethoxy-4’-hydroxy-8-C-prenylflavone), diterpenes (orthosiphols, orthoarisins, neoortho-siphols, staminols, and staminolactones) and triterpenes (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, hydroxybetulinic acid, maslinic acid, α-amyrin and β-amyrin) were identified as responsible compounds for the antioxidant activity.
A Mineralogy‐Based Anthropogenic Combustion‐Iron Emission Inventory

Atmospheric supply of iron can modulate ocean biogeochemistry, due to its key role in global nitrogen and carbon cycles. Current estimates predict up to 20% of global ocean net primary productivity depends on an atmospheric iron source. Using a technology‐based methodology, we revise total and soluble anthropogenic iron emissions and resolve iron into its mineral components, which allows modeling mineral‐specific atmospheric reactions. We compare different methodologies for representing anthropogenic iron solubility: measured in mild and strong leaches and estimated using a mineralogy basis and identify the emissions that are most affected by such assumptions. The inclusion of metal smelting as an iron source increases iron emissions by up to 10 times higher in the fine aerosol fraction (smaller than 1 μm) than most previous inventories. Different solubility assumptions alter anthropogenic soluble iron emissions and deposition by a factor of 20 and 10, respectively. Using solubilities measured in mild leaches and calculated by mineralogy give 20–30 Gg/yr anthropogenic emissions and 40–50 Gg/yr deposition, while those measured in strong leaches give 80–440 Gg/yr emissions and 200–450 Gg/yr deposition. This range of anthropogenic soluble iron deposition leads to global soluble iron deposition of 1,900–2,300 Gg/yr when dust, wildfires, and atmospheric processing are included, indicating such assumptions can affect global soluble iron supply by about 30%. In regions where marine primary productivity is iron limited, anthropogenic combustion‐iron contributes up to half of the atmospheric soluble iron flux to the North Pacific Ocean but supplies less than 5% to the Southern Ocean.
Learning principles of evolution during a crisis: An exploratory analysis of student barriers one week and one month into the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) outbreak forced an emergency transition to online classes across the world with little warning or instruction for faculty and students. The goal of this research was to document how this response impacted undergraduate students studying the principles of evolution in an introductory organismal biology class over time; specifically, how their study habits for exams differed (a) one week and (b) one month after a university's decision to transition to emergency remote instruction. We asked students about the extent to which COVID‐19 impacted their study habits, and we categorized students’ responses using open coding. We identified a number of consistent similarities—as well as dramatic differences—in their responses as the time away from campus increased. The report that follows is a summary of the documented barriers and recommendations based on literature concerning crises and equitable practices.
International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) World Congress 2014

The field of proteomics has advanced considerably over the past two decades. The ability to delve deeper into an organism’s proteome, identify an array of post-translational modifications and profile differentially abundant proteins has greatly expanded the utilization of proteomics. Improvements to instrumentation in conjunction with the development of these reproducible workflows have driven the adoption and application of this technology by a wider research community. However, the full potential of proteomics is far from being fully exploited in plant biology and its translational application needs to be further developed. In 2011, a group of plant proteomic researchers established the International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) to advance the utilization of this technology in plants as well as to create a way for plant proteomics researchers to interact, collaborate and exchange ideas. The INPPO conducted its inaugural world congress in mid 2014 at the University of Hamburg (Germany). Plant proteomic researchers from around the world were in attendance and the event marked the maturation of this research community. The Research Topic captures the opinions, ideas and research discussed at the congress and encapsulates the approaches that were being applied in plant proteomics.The field of proteomics has advanced considerably over the past two decades. The ability to delve deeper into an organism’s proteome, identify an array of post-translational modifications and profile differentially abundant proteins has greatly expanded the utilization of proteomics. Improvements to instrumentation in conjunction with the development of these reproducible workflows have driven the adoption and application of this technology by a wider research community. However, the full potential of proteomics is far from being fully exploited in plant biology and its translational application needs to be further developed. In 2011, a group of plant proteomic researchers established the International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) to advance the utilization of this technology in plants as well as to create a way for plant proteomics researchers to interact, collaborate and exchange ideas. The INPPO conducted its inaugural world congress in mid 2014 at the University of Hamburg (Germany). Plant proteomic researchers from around the world were in attendance and the event marked the maturation of this research community. The Research Topic captures the opinions, ideas and research discussed at the congress and encapsulates the approaches that were being applied in plant proteomics.
Hormonal Control of Morphogenesis in vitro in Nodal Segments of Tylophora indica

The present study describes the hormonal regulation of morphogenesis in vitro in nodal segments of T. indica. The nodal explants, sterilized with 0.1% HgCl2, were cultured on Murashige and Skoog Medium enriched with various combinations and concentrations of plant hormones auxin and cytokinin to study the hormonal regulation in morphogenesis in vitro in T. indica. BAP at high concentration could not evoke any morphogenetic response in nodal explants. Calli formation at the basal part of nodal explants were noted on medium containing BAP (0.1 mg/L) and 2,4-D (5.0 mg/L). 0.1 mg/L BAP was found most effective in the shoot development of the T. indica. Rhizogenesis was observed on half-strength MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l IAA and 0.1 mg/l NAA. The study may also be used in mass-propagation and conservation of this medicinal plant species. Key-wordsPlant growth regulators, Morphogenesis in vitro, Tylophora indica, Rhizogenesis INTRODUCTION T. indica (Burm. f.) Merrill, a member of Asclepiadaceae family, is an important medicinal plant species, which is used to cure various ailments such as bronchial asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism, inflammation, allergies and dermatitis . The powdered leaves, stem and root contain several medicinally important alkaloids including tylophorine, tylophorinine . Unfortunately, due to over exploitation for its bioactive constituents and lack of cultivation practices, the natural populations of this plant species has declined rapidly in the last few decades. Recent developments in biotechnology provide new methods for conservation of threatened flora, using in vitro culture techniques. Through these techniques, mass-propagation of desired plant may be achieved by culturing explants on nutrient medium under in vitro conditions. Plant hormones regulate many aspects of plant growth and development. Both auxin and cytokinin have been known for a long time to act either synergistically or antagonistically to control several significant developmental processes, such as the formation and maintenance of Access this article online Quick Response Code Website:
Resting and swimming metabolic rates in juvenile walruses (
 
 Odobenus rosmarus
 
 )

Funding information Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Abstract Changes in Arctic ice conditions have raised concerns regarding potential impacts on energy expenditure and food requirements of walruses. Modeling the repercussions of environmental changes requires accurate species-specific measures of bioenergetic expenditures. This is particularly true for walruses, who have a unique anatomy and foraging ecology from other pinnipeds. This study measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) and subsurface swimming metabolism in two juvenile walruses over a 13-month period. The walruses had relatively low RMR compared to studies of other young pinnipeds. RMR was greater for the male than the female, as expected given its larger size; the reverse was true on a mass-specific basis. There was also considerable variability in RMR for each walrus during the year that could not be accounted for by changes in body mass. Metabolism while swimming was about twice RMR, and locomotor costs were higher than generally predicted for other marine mammals. The lower calculated swimming efficiency may reflect the fact that walruses are not “high velocity” pursuit predators. The estimates of metabolic expenditure obtained in this study for young walruses are invaluable for quantifying the energetic consequences of behavioral changes induced by environmental shifts in the wild.
Pseudomonas-aided zinc application improves the productivity and biofortification of bread wheat

Abstract. Zinc (Zn) deficiency reduces the grain yield and quality of wheat. Plant-growth-promoting bacteria may help to improve plant Zn availability. This study evaluated the influence of inorganic Zn, with and without Zn-solubilising bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. MN12), on performance and grain biofortification of wheat. Zinc was supplied with and without Pseudomonas to two bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (Lasani-2008 and Faisalabad-2008) via four treatments: soil application (5.0 mg kg–1 soil), foliar application (0.025 m), seed priming (0.5 m) and seed coating (1.25 g kg–1 seed). Hydroprimed seeds were taken as control. Inoculation with Pseudomonas improved photosynthesis, yield, biofortification of grains and organic acid production in root exudates. However, inoculation was more effective when applied in combination with different Zn application methods. Maximum improvement in plant photosynthetic assessment and grain yield was recorded with Pseudomonas + Zn seed priming, followed by Pseudomonas + soil application of Zn. These two combinations also enhanced organic acid production in root exudates of wheat. Soil and foliar application of Zn with Pseudomonas enhanced Zn concentration in whole grain, embryo, aleurone and endosperm. Combined application of Pseudomonas and Zn (soil and foliar) reduced phytate concentration and [phytate] : [Zn] ratio and increased the bioavailable Zn in wheat grain compared with the control. In conclusion, the combination Pseudomonas inoculation along with Zn seed priming and soil application was more effective in improving grain yield of wheat, whereas soil- and foliar-applied Zn with Pseudomonas inoculation was better in enhancing grain Zn concentration and bioavailability.
Nicotinic modulation of hierarchal inhibitory control over prefrontal cortex resting state dynamics: modeling of genetic modification and schizophreniarelated pathology

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) strongly modulate the cholinergic drive to a hierarchy of inhibitory neurons in the superficial layers of the PFC, critical to cognitive processes. Genetic deletion of various types of nAChRs, located on specific interneurons, impacts the properties of ultra-slow transitions between high and low activity states (H-states and L-states, respectively), recorded in mice during quiet wakefulness. In addition, recent data indicate that a genetic mutation of the α5 nAChR subunit located on vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) inhibitory neurons, the rs16969968 single nucleotide polymorphism (α5 SNP), appears to be responsible for “hypofrontality” observed in schizophrenia. Chronic nicotine application to α5 SNP mice restores neural activity to control levels. Using firing rate models of hierarchically organized neural populations, we showed that the change of activity patterns recorded in the genetically modified mice can be explained by a change of activity state stability, differentially modulated by cholinergic inputs to parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SOM) or VIP inhibitory populations. A change in amplitude, but not duration of H-states fully account for the lowered pyramidal (PYR) firing rates recorded in α5 SNP mice. We demonstrate that desensitization and upregulation of β2 nAChRs located on SOM interneurons, but not activation of α5 nAChRs located on VIP interneurons, by chronic nicotine application could account for activity normalization recorded in α5 SNP mice. The model implies that subsequent nicotine withdrawal should lead to PYR activity depression more severe than the original hypofrontality caused by SNP mutation.
Circularly shifted filters enable data efficient sequence motif inference with neural networks

Motivation Nucleic acids and proteins often have localized sequence motifs that enable highly specific interactions. Due to the biological relevance of sequence motifs, numerous inference methods have been developed. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) achieved state of the art performance because they can approximate complex motif distributions. These methods were able to learn transcription factor binding sites from ChIP-seq data and to make accurate predictions. However, CNNs learn filters that are difficult to interpret, and networks trained on small data sets often do not generalize optimally to new sequences. Results Here we present circular filters, a novel convolutional architecture, that contains all circularly shifted variants of the same filter. We motivate circular filters by the observation that CNNs frequently learn filters that correspond to shifted and truncated variants of the true motif. Circular filters enable learning of non-truncated motifs and allow easy interpretation of the learned filters. We show that circular filters improve motif inference performance over a wide range of hyperparameters. Furthermore, we show that CNNs with circular filters perform better at inferring transcription factor binding motifs from ChIP-seq data than conventional CNNs. Contact markus.kollmann@hhu.de
The Influence of Transformational Leadership to Organizational Innovation and Explorative Learning Mediated by Generalist Human Capital at Oil Company

This study aims to analyse the effect of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Innovation and Exploration Learning mediated by the General Capital Human Oil Company. This research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 150 respondents and the respondents were employees. Hypothesis testing is done by structural equation modelling (SEM) method with the help of AMOS software. The results of this study indicate that the average respondent agrees on each variable Transformational leadership, Organizational Innovation, Exploratory Innovation, Exploitative Innovation, Explorative Learning and Generalist Human Capital. In each item the statement shows that each item is declared valid and can be done to measure each research variable. The level of reliability shows that the Cronbach's Alpha of each variable is declared Reliable which means the respondent is consistent with his statement. The Generalist variable of Human Capital has not influenced fully to the effect of Transformational Leadership on Explorative Learning, the results of this study are also expected to be a reference for management and leaders to further enhance innovation in companies to be able to outperform manufacturing competition and human resources. In addition, the benefits of research are expected to be the basis for further research. Keywords—transformational leadership, organizational innovation, explorative learning, exploratory innovation, exploitative innovation and general capital human
Moral Conviction, Emotion, and the Influence of Episodic versus Thematic Frames

ABSTRACT Morally convicted attitudes—attitudes grounded in core beliefs about fundamental right and wrong—play an important role in political psychology, public opinion, and political behavior. Extant research suggests that these attitudes are intensely held, likely to evoke strong emotional responses, more stable and less amenable to compromise, and perceived to be universally true. Despite a large body of research on how morally convicted attitudes affect behavior and choice, several open questions remain about their antecedents. There are two questions central to this article: First, can the news media effectively communicate a sense of moral conviction to the mass public? Second, if so, what are the factors that cause these attitudes to become morally convicted? Drawing on framing theory, appraisal theory, and research in political communication, we hypothesize that moral conviction can be effectively communicated using episodic (as opposed to thematic) frames, and also, that emotional reactions to such frames contribute to the development of moral conviction. Using four survey experiments and two replications, we find some support for our hypotheses, but we also find that treatment effects are likely context dependent. We close with a discussion about avenues for future research.