Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-Residue Method for the Analysis of Stilbene Estrogens in Milk

The rapid analysis of stilbene estrogens is crucially important in the environment, food and health sectors, but quantitation of lower detection limit for stilbene estrogens persists as a severe challenge. We herein described a homologous and sensitive fluorescence polarization (FP) assay based on estrogen receptor α ligand binding domain (ER-LBD) to monitor stilbene estrogens in milk. Under optimal conditions, the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the FP assay were 9.27 nM, 12.94 nM, and 22.38 nM for hexestrol, dienestrol and diethylstilbestrol, respectively. And the corresponding limits of detection (LOD) values were 2.94 nM, 2.89 nM, and 3.12 nM. Finally, the assay was applied to determine the stilbenes in milk samples where the mean recoveries ranged from 95.76% to 112.78% and the coefficients of variation (CV) below 12.00%. Furtherly, we have focused our study on high cross-reactivity phenomena by using two in silico approaches, including molecular docking analysis and topology analysis. Overall, docking results show that several residues in the hydrophobic pocket produce hydrophobic interactions with the tested drug molecules, which contribute to the stability of their binding. In this paper, we conclude that the FP method is suitable for the rapid detection of stilbenes in milk samples, requiring no expensive analytical equipment or time-consuming sample preparation. This work offers a practical approach that applies bioscience technology in food safety testing and improves analytical speed and laboratory efficiency.
High-dimensional representation of texture in somatosensory cortex of primates

Significance The sense of touch affords a remarkable sensitivity to the microstructure of surfaces, affording us the ability to sense elements ranging in size from tens of nanometers to tens of millimeters. The hand sends signals about texture to the brain using three classes of nerve fibers through two neural codes: coarse features in spatial patterns of activation and fine features in precise temporal spiking patterns. In this study, we show that these nerve signals culminate in a complex, high-dimensional representation of texture in somatosensory cortex, whose structure can account for the structure of texture perception. This complexity arises from the neurons that act as idiosyncratic detectors of spatial and/or temporal motifs in the afferent input. In the somatosensory nerves, the tactile perception of texture is driven by spatial and temporal patterns of activation distributed across three populations of afferents. These disparate streams of information must then be integrated centrally to achieve a unified percept of texture. To investigate the representation of texture in somatosensory cortex, we scanned a wide range of natural textures across the fingertips of rhesus macaques and recorded the responses evoked in Brodmann’s areas 3b, 1, and 2. We found that texture identity is reliably encoded in the idiosyncratic responses of populations of cortical neurons, giving rise to a high-dimensional representation of texture. Cortical neurons fall along a continuum in their sensitivity to fine vs. coarse texture, and neurons at the extrema of this continuum seem to receive their major input from different afferent populations. Finally, we show that cortical responses can account for several aspects of texture perception in humans.
Bi‐exponential modeling derives novel parameters for the critical speed concept

All‐out exercise testing (AOT) has emerged as a method for quantifying critical speed (CS) and the curvature constant (D′). The AOT method was recently validated for shuttle running yet how that method compares with linear running is unknown. In the present study, we utilized a novel bi‐exponential model that derives CS and D′ with additional new parameters from the AOT method. Fourteen male athletes (age = 21.6 ± 2.2 years; height = 177 ± 70 cm; weight = 83.0 ± 11.8 kg) completed a graded exercise test (GXT) to derive maximum oxygen uptake ( V˙O2max ) and the average speed between gas exchange threshold and V˙O2max (sΔ50%), a linear AOT, and two shuttle AOTs. Measurement agreement was determined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC α ), typical error (TE), and coefficient of variation (CV). The y‐asymptote ( S0 ) of the speed‐time curve (3.52 ± 0.66 m·sec−1) did not differ from sΔ50% (3.49 ± 0.41 m·sec−1) or CS (3.77 ± 0.56 m·sec−1) (P = 0.34). Strong agreement was observed for estimates of CS (ICC α = 0.92, TE = 0.18 m·sec−1, and CV = 5.7%) and D′ (ICC α = 0.94, TE = 16.0 m, CV = 7.6%) with significant (P < 0.01) correlations observed between V˙O2max and CS and between S0 and V˙O2max (r values of 0.74 and 0.84, respectively). The time constant of the decay in speed ( τd ) and the amplitude between maximal speed and S0 ( Ad ) emerged as unique metrics. The Ad and τd metrics may glean new insights for prescribing and interpreting high‐intensity exercise using the AOT method.
Efficacy of transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumor

Background: This systematic review aims to assess the efficacy and safety of transsphenoidal surgery (TPS) for patients with a pituitary tumor (PT). Methods: We will retrieve the following electronic databases for randomized controlled trials or case–control studies to assess the effect and safety of TPS for PT: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Each database will be retrieved from the inception to December 20, 2018. The entire process consists of the study selection, data collection, methodology quality assessment, data pooled, and meta-analysis performance. The methodology quality will be assessed by using Cochrane risk of bias tool. The data pooled and meta-analysis will be conducted by using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of TPS for PT. The primary outcome includes total tumor resection rate. The secondary outcomes consist of quality of life, total tumor resection rate, postoperative complication rate, and the rate of functional tumor hormone levels. Conclusion: The expected results may provide up-to-date evidence of TPS for the treatment of PT. PROSPERO registration number: PROSPERO CRD42018120194.
The Relationship between Social Cohesion and Urban Green Space: An Avenue for Health Promotion

Social cohesion involves the interpersonal dynamics and sense of connection among people. Increased social cohesion can be associated with various physical and psychological health benefits. The presence of urban green spaces can encourage positive social interactions that cultivate social cohesion in ways that enhance health and well-being. Urban green spaces have also been linked to positive health behaviors and outcomes including increased physical activity and social engagement. Understanding the relationship between social cohesion and urban green space is important for informing holistic approaches to health. In this article, we discuss how positive interactions in urban green space can catalyze social cohesion, social capital and critical health-promoting behaviors that may enhance psychological health and well-being. We also summarize the strengths and limitations of previous studies and suggest directions for future research.
Conventional Rehabilitation Therapy Versus Telerehabilitation in Cardiac Patients: A Comparison of Motivation, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life

Telerehabilitation (TR) has gained attention as a promising rehabilitation format. Our study examined how patients responded to TR and whether it provided adequate support for their lifestyle changes and self-care efforts when compared to conventional rehabilitation (CR). Cardiac patients (n = 136) were randomly assigned to a TR or CR group. The TR group was provided with relevant health care technology for a period of three months, and both groups filled in questionnaires on their motivation for lifestyle changes and self-care psychological distress, and quality of life at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. Patients in both groups were found to be equally motivated for lifestyle changes and self-care (p < 0.05) and they experienced similar levels of psychological distress and quality of life. TR is comparable to conventional rehabilitation in motivating patients, preventing psychological distress and improving quality of life. Although we observed an initial increase in autonomous motivation in the telerehabilitation group, this positive difference in motivation does not last over time. As such, neither rehabilitation format seems able to ensure long-term motivation. Therefore, TR may serve as a viable replacement for conventional rehabilitation when considered relevant. Further research is needed to enhance long-term motivation, and maybe telerehabilitation can help to achieve this.
Family Functioning, Emotional Intelligence, and Values: Analysis of the Relationship with Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents

Aggressive behavior in adolescence is influenced by a diversity of individual, family, and social variables. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between family functioning, emotional intelligence, and personal values for development with different types of aggression, as well as to establish profiles with these variables according to the aggression. The study was carried out with a sample of 317 high school students aged 13 to 18 years old. The study showed that stress management (emotional intelligence), positive adolescent development, and family functioning predominated in nonaggressive subjects with higher scores than aggressors did. There was also a negative relationship between the different types of aggression and emotional intelligence, positive values, and family functioning. In addition, two different profiles were found. The first profile had less family functioning, interpersonal emotional intelligence, stress management, and fewer personal and social values than the second profile.
Learning Wireless Sensor Networks for Source Localization

Source localization and target tracking are among the most challenging problems in wireless sensor networks (WSN). Most of the state-of-the-art solutions are complicated and do not meet the processing and memory limitations of the existing low-cost sensor nodes. In this paper, we propose computationally-cheap solutions based on the support vector machine (SVM) and twin SVM (TWSVM) learning algorithms in which network nodes firstly detect the desired signal. Then, the network is trained to specify the nodes in the vicinity of the source (or target); hence, the region of event is detected. Finally, the centroid of the event region is considered as an estimation of the source location. The efficiency of the proposed methods is shown by simulations.
First-Principles Calculations of Angular and Strain Dependence on Effective Masses of Two-Dimensional Phosphorene Analogues (Monolayer α-Phase Group-IV Monochalcogenides MX)

Group IV monochalcogenides MX (M = Ge, Sn; X = S, Se)-semiconductor isostructure to black phosphorene-have recently emerged as promising two-dimensional materials for ultrathin-film photovoltaic applications owing to the fascinating electronic and optical properties. Herein, using first-principles calculations, we systematically investigate the orbital contribution electronic properties, angular and strain dependence on the carrier effective masses of monolayer MX. Based on analysis on the orbital-projected band structure, the VBMs are found to be dominantly contributed from the pz orbital of X atom, while the CBM is mainly dominated by px or py orbital of M atom. 2D SnS has the largest anisotropy ratio due to the lacking of s orbital contribution which increases the anisotropy. Moreover, the electron/hole effective masses along the x direction have the steeper tendency of increase under the uniaxial tensile strain compared to those along y direction.
Determination of Effective Mode Selection for Ensuring Spectrum Efficiency with Massive MIMO in IoT Systems

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) based on Internet of Things (IoT) applications are increasing day by day. These applications include healthcare, infrastructure monitoring, smart homes, wearable devices and smart cars. However, considering the fact that many different application areas will emerge in next generation wireless communication systems, efficient use of frequency spectrum is important. Because the whole frequency spectrum is now very crowded, it is important to ensure maximum spectrum efficiency for effective WSNs based on IoT. This study sought to determine which mode more effectively achieves spectrum efficiency for the performance of effective IoT systems under given conditions with respect to the length of the pilot sequence, Time Division Duplexing (TDD) or Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD). The results were obtained by Monte Carlo simulations. To the best of our knowledge, a study of effective mode selection analysis for spectrum efficiency in IoT based systems has not been available in the literature yet. The results of this study are useful for determining the appropriate design conditions for WSNs based on IoT.
Prevalence of burnout among German general practitioners: Comparison of physicians working in solo and group practices

Background Studies from general practitioner (GP) populations from various European countries show a high prevalence of burnout, yet data from Germany are scarce and there are no data comparing GPs from solo versus group practices. Methods This cross-sectional survey addressed all GPs from a German network of family medicine practices comprising 185 practices. Participants were asked to fill in a self-administered questionnaire addressing socio-demographic and job-related characteristics. The German version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to measure the dimensions emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). Each participant was categorized as having high EE, high DP and low PA following pre-defined cut-offs. Results A total of 214 GPs from 129 practices participated: 65.9% male, 24.8% solo practice. Of all GPs, 34.1% (n = 73) scored high for EE, 29.0% (n = 62) high for DP, 21.5% (n = 46) low for PA and 7.5% (n = 16) for all three dimensions. A higher risk for EE was found among female physicians, those unsatisfied with their job, those using few stress-regulating measures regularly and those reporting bad work-life balance. Burnout prevalence was higher in GPs in group than in solo practices (37.9% vs. 28.8% had high EE, 33.1% vs. 18.9% had high DP and 22.8% vs. 18.9% had low PA). A significantly higher prevalence of burnout symptoms was found in group practice employees compared to group practice owners. Conclusion Burnout prevalence was higher among physicians in group practices compared to solo practices. In group practices, employed, young, female and part-time working physicians showed a higher burnout risk.
Content-Sensing Based Resource Allocation for Delay-Sensitive VR Video Uploading in 5G H-CRAN

Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as one of key applications in future fifth-generation (5G) networks. Uploading VR video in 5G network is expected to boom in near future, as general consumers could generate high-quality VR videos with portable 360-degree cameras and are willing to share with others. Heterogeneous networks integrating with 5G cloud-radio access networks (H-CRAN) provides high transmission rate for VR video uploading. To address the motion characteristic of UE (User Equipments) and small cell feature of 5G H-CRAN, in this paper we proposed a content-sensing based resource allocation scheme for delay-sensitive VR video uploading in 5G H-CRAN, in which the source coding rate of uploading VR video is determined by the centralized RA scheduling. This scheme jointly optimizes g-NB group resource allocation, RHH/g-NB association, sub-channel assignment, power allocation, and tile encoding rate assignment as formulated in a mixed-integer nonlinear problem (MINLP). To solve the problem, a three stage algorithm is proposed. Dynamic g-NB group resource allocation is first performed according to the UE density of each group. Then, joint RRH/g-NB association, sub-channel allocation and power allocation is performed by an iterative process. Finally, encoding tile rate is assigned to optimize the target objective by adopting convex optimization toolbox. The simulation results show that our proposed algorithm ensures the total utility of system under the constraint of maximum transmission delay and power, which also with low complexity and faster convergence.
Multiplexing polysome profiling experiments to study translation in Escherichia coli

Polysome profiling is a widely used method to monitor the translation status of mRNAs. Although it is theoretically a simple technique, it is labor intensive. Repetitive polysome fractionation rapidly generates a large number of samples to be handled in the downstream processes of protein elimination, RNA extraction and quantification. Here, we propose a multiplex polysome profiling experiment in which distinct cellular extracts are pooled before loading on the sucrose gradient for fractionation. We used the multiplexing method to study translation in E. coli. Multiplexing polysome profiling experiments provided similar mRNA translation status to that obtained with the non-multiplex method with comparable distribution of mRNA copies between the polysome profiling fractions, similar ribosome occupancy and ribosome density. The multiplexing method was used for parallel characterization of gene translational responses to changing mRNA levels. When the mRNA level of two native genes, cysZ and lacZ was increased by transcription induction, their global translational response was similar, with a higher ribosome load leading to increased ribosome occupancy and ribosome densities. However the pattern and the magnitude of the translational response were gene specific. By reducing the number of polysome profiling experiments, the multiplexing method saved time and effort and reduced cost and technical bias. This method would be useful to study the translational effect of mRNA sequence-dependent parameters that often require testing multiple samples and conditions in parallel.
Information about variations in multiple copies of bacterial 16S rRNA genes may aid in species identification

Variable region analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences is the most common tool in bacterial taxonomic studies. Although used for distinguishing bacterial species, its use remains limited due to the presence of variable copy numbers with sequence variation in the genomes. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequences, obtained from completely assembled whole genome and Sanger electrophoresis sequencing of cloned PCR products from Serratia fonticola GS2, were compared. Sanger sequencing produced a combination of sequences from multiple copies of 16S rRNA genes. To determine whether the variant copies of 16S rRNA genes affected Sanger sequencing, two ratios (5:5 and 8:2) with different concentrations of cloned 16S rRNA genes were used; it was observed that the greater the number of copies with similar sequences the higher its chance of amplification. Effect of multiple copies for taxonomic classification of 16S rRNA gene sequences was investigated using the strain GS2 as a model. 16S rRNA copies with the maximum variation had 99.42% minimum pairwise similarity and this did not have an effect on species identification. Thus, PCR products from genomes containing variable 16S rRNA gene copies can provide sufficient information for species identification except from species which have high similarity of sequences in their 16S rRNA gene copies like the case of Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus cereus. In silico analysis of 1,616 bacterial genomes from long-read sequencing was also done. The average minimum pairwise similarity for each phylum was reported with their average genome size and average “unique copies” of 16S rRNA genes and we found that the phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes showed the highest amount of variation in their copies of their 16S rRNA genes. Overall, our results shed light on how the variations in the multiple copies of the 16S rRNA genes of bacteria can aid in appropriate species identification.
ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF SOME PLANTS USED IN FOLK MEDICINE IN ROMANIA

The aim of the study was to analyze the antioxidant activity of Ajuga reptans, Anthyllis vulneraria, Impatiens noli-tangere, Lilium candidum, Ononis arvensis, Plantago media, Rhinanthus serotinus, Thymus serpyllum, and Veronica beccabunga used in ethnomedicine in Romania. In vitro antioxidant assays were performed with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), modified chemiluminescence and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays on the ethnomedicinally used parts of the species. The 50% ethanolic extracts of plants exerted a similar radical-scavenging effect measured by DPPH and chemiluminescence assays (R2 = 0.8811). However, considerably higher values were measured by the ORAC method and these data did not correlate with the results of the chemiluminescence and the DPPH assays. The studied vegetal products from of L. candidum, P. media, Rh. serotinus, Th. serpyllum, and V. beccabunga showed the highest total antioxidant capacity values by all used methods, while I. noli-tangere expressed the lowest antioxidant capacity. The study highlights the promising phytochemical values of ethnomedicinally used plants from Romania.
A yeast metabolome-based model for an ecotoxicological approach in the management of lignocellulosic ethanol stillage

Lignocellulosic bioethanol production results in huge amounts of stillage, a potentially polluting by-product. Stillage, rich in heavy metals and, mainly, inhibitors, requires specific toxicity studies to be adequately managed. To this purpose, we applied an FTIR ecotoxicological bioassay to evaluate the toxicity of lignocellulosic stillage. Two weak acids and furans, most frequently found in lignocellulosic stillage, have been tested in different mixtures against three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The metabolomic reaction of the test microbes and the mortality induced at various levels of inhibitor concentration showed that the strains are representative of three different types of response. Furthermore, the relationship between concentrations and FTIR synthetic stress indexes has been studied, with the aim of defining a model able to predict the concentrations of inhibitors in stillage, resulting in an optimized predictive model for all the strains. This approach represents a promising tool to support the ecotoxicological management of lignocellulosic stillage.
Acute biotoxicity assessment of heavy metals in sewage sludge based on the glucose consumption of Escherichia coli

As a simple and feasible method for acute biotoxicity assessment, personal glucose meter (PGM) can be successfully applied in the early warning of environmental pollutants in sewage. In this paper, the acute biotoxicity of single and joint heavy metals in sewage and real sludge samples was systematically described based on the glucose metabolism of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Results indicated that the biotoxicity order of five single heavy metals in sewage was Hg2+ > As3+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+. The joint heavy metals of Cu2+ + Zn2+, Cu2+ + Cd2+, and Cu2+ + Hg2+ produced synergistic effects, while Cu2+ + As3+ and Cd2+ + Zn2+ possessed antagonistic effects for the combined biotoxicity. In spiked sludge, Cd2+ and Zn2+ owned higher biotoxicity than Cu2+ and As3+. Notably, the electroplate factory and housing estate sludge respectively showed the highest and lowest inhibition rates as 57.4% and 17.7% under the real sludge biotoxicity assessment. These results demonstrated that PGM was a sensitive and portable method, which could be widely used for acute biotoxicity assessment of heavy metals in sewage sludge.