Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gratitude and social support mediate the association between mindfulness and mood: A cross-cultural replication study

Swickert and colleagues surveyed young adults in the United States and found that gratitude and social support mediated the association between mindfulness and mood (both positive and negative affect). This study attempted to replicate Swickert et al.’s mediational findings using a young adult Hungarian sample. Results indicated that with one exception, the mediational findings were replicated. The exception was that for the Hungarians, gratitude did not mediate the association between mindfulness and negative affect. Overall, these findings indicate that the mediational effects of gratitude and social support are quite similar for individuals living in the United States and Hungary.
Recent Trends and Developments in Graphene/Conducting Polymer Nanocomposites Chemiresistive Sensors

The use of graphene and its derivatives with excellent characteristics such as good electrical and mechanical properties and large specific surface area has gained the attention of researchers. Recently, novel nanocomposite materials based on graphene and conducting polymers including polyaniline (PANi), polypyrrole (PPy), poly (3,4 ethyldioxythiophene) (PEDOT), polythiophene (PTh), and their derivatives have been widely used as active materials in gas sensing due to their unique electrical conductivity, redox property, and good operation at room temperature. Mixing these two materials exhibited better sensing performance compared to pure graphene and conductive polymers. This may be attributed to the large specific surface area of the nanocomposites, and also the synergistic effect between graphene and conducting polymers. A variety of graphene and conducting polymer nanocomposite preparation methods such as in situ polymerization, electropolymerization, solution mixing, self-assembly approach, etc. have been reported and utilization of these nanocomposites as sensing materials has been proven effective in improving the performance of gas sensors. Review of the recent research efforts and developments in the fabrication and application of graphene and conducting polymer nanocomposites for gas sensing is the aim of this review paper.
Long non-coding RNA EWSAT1 contributes to the proliferation and invasion of glioma by sponging miR-152-3p

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a type of ncRNA with a length ranging from 200-1,000 nucleotides. Previous studies have confirmed that the lncRNA Ewing sarcoma associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1) exerts regulatory roles in cancer development and progression. However, its clinical significance in glioma remains unknown. In the present study, RNA-sequencing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and The Cancer Genome Atlas was explored to investigate the association between EWSAT1 expression and prognosis in patients with glioma. Increased EWSAT1 was associated with the presence of necrosis on magnetic resonance imaging scans in patients with glioma. Furthermore, knockdown of EWSAT1 was indicated to suppress the proliferative and invasive abilities of glioblastoma cell lines using Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays. Additionally, microRNA (miR)-152-3p was identified as a potential target of EWSAT1. The present study demonstrated that EWSAT1 interacted directly with miR-152-3p, and rescue experiments confirmed that EWSAT1 participated in glioma development by suppressing miR-152-3p. These results indicated that EWSAT1 is involved in the occurrence and progression of glioma, and may serve as a novel target and potential prognostic biomarker of glioma treatment.
Analysis and Design of High Speed 4-2 Compressor in CMOS Technology for High Speed Multipliers

This review paper contains the discussion about performance analysis of high speed 4-2 compressor architectures, starting from the general idea; conventional form for implementation of this building block along with its truth table has been studied. Thereafter, the modified versions which show promise for high speed multiplier implementations along with their benefits and drawbacks were demonstrated and comprehensively analyzed. Following the same principles, an optimized structure for 4-2 compressor is obtained which has 2 XOR gate level delay for the critical path and contains the least delay among the reported works. As another advantage, because of uniform paths the output waveforms will be free of any glitches. Simulation results for TSMC 0.18 µm CMOS technology and 1.8V power supply using HSPICE have been provided to show the superiority of our designed architecture in terms of the speed performance. Finally, to confirm the correct behavior of proposed compressor, an 8x8 bit multiplier was designed which can operate at the frequency of 500MHz without employing any special multiplication algorithm for partial product generation.
Skeletal growth lines in an Eocene crocodilian skull from Wyoming as an indicator of ontogenic age and paleoclimatic conditions

ABSTRACT The Yale Peabody Museum skull YPM 511 from the middle Eocene Bridger beds of Wyoming belongs to the crocodylid Crocodylus cf. affinis Marsh, 1871. Its general histological characters, particularly the organization of the skeletal growth lines, resemble closely those of a C. niloticus of the same size. Growth-line counts in both specimens allow ontogenic age estimates that are consistent with the available curves of size/age relationship for the genus Crocodylus. As in living crocodilians, some structural characters of bone annulation in the fossil crocodile appear to be related to the existence of seasons during the middle Eocene in Wyoming and suggest a yearly alternation of a cool and dry season with a warm and wet one.
The Feasibility of Host Transcriptome Profiling as a Diagnostic Tool for Microbial Etiology in Childhood Cancer Patients with Febrile Neutropenia

Infection is a common and serious complication of cancer treatment in children that often presents as febrile neutropenia (FN). Gene-expression profiling techniques can reveal transcriptional signatures that discriminate between viral, bacterial and asymptomatic infections in otherwise healthy children. Here, we examined whether gene-expression profiling was feasible in children with FN who were undergoing cancer treatment. The blood transcriptome of the children (n = 63) was investigated at time of FN diagnosed as viral, bacterial, co-infection or unknown etiology, respectively, and compared to control samples derived from 12 of the patients following the FN episode. RNA sequencing was successful in 43 (68%) of the FN episodes. Only two genes were significantly differentially expressed in the bacterial versus the control group. Significantly up-regulated genes in patients with the other three etiologies versus the control group were enriched with cellular processes related to proliferation and cellular stress response, with no clear enrichment with innate responses to pathogens. Among the significantly down-regulated genes, a few clustered into pathways connected to responses to infection. In the present study of children during cancer treatment, the blood transcriptome was not suitable for determining the etiology of FN because of too few circulating immune cells for reliable gene expression analysis.
Nardonella endosymbiont in the West Indian sweet potato weevil Euscepes postfasciatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus, is a notorious pest of the sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas. We examined the potential presence of a bacterial endosymbiont in the pest weevil. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene and groEL gene were detected by PCR from the insects. Cloning, sequencing and molecular phylogenetic analyses of the bacterial genes demonstrated that E. postfasciatus is associated with a γ-proteobacterial endosymbiont of the genus Nardonella. In situ hybridization detected the endosymbiont in the female ovaries, indicating its transovarial transmission through host generations. This study is the first to identify Nardonella from the weevil subfamily Cryptorhynchinae. The potential relevance of the endosymbiont in the biology and management of E. postfasciatus is discussed.
Discovery of a heme-binding domain in a neuronal voltage-gated potassium channel

The EAG (ether-à-go-go) family of voltage-gated K+ channels are important regulators of neuronal and cardiac action potential firing (excitability) and have major roles in human diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, cancer, and sudden cardiac death. A defining feature of EAG (Kv10–12) channels is a highly conserved domain on the N terminus, known as the eag domain, consisting of a Per–ARNT–Sim (PAS) domain capped by a short sequence containing an amphipathic helix (Cap domain). The PAS and Cap domains are both vital for the normal function of EAG channels. Using heme-affinity pulldown assays and proteomics of lysates from primary cortical neurons, we identified that an EAG channel, hERG3 (Kv11.3), binds to heme. In whole-cell electrophysiology experiments, we identified that heme inhibits hERG3 channel activity. In addition, we expressed the Cap and PAS domain of hERG3 in Escherichia coli and, using spectroscopy and kinetics, identified the PAS domain as the location for heme binding. The results identify heme as a regulator of hERG3 channel activity. These observations are discussed in the context of the emerging role for heme as a regulator of ion channel activity in cells.
Seeking Meaningful Innovation: Lessons Learned Developing, Evaluating, and Implementing the Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Tool

Digital health solutions, in particular information communication technologies, often experience implementation failures leading to slower adoption than expected. This implementation challenge has spurred the development of frameworks to help navigate this uncertain and messy process. These frameworks point to environmental, organizational, individual, and technological factors that can drive or hinder implementation, with some in the field suggesting that perceived value may play a pivotal role. However, the concept of value can have varying meanings and be challenging to operationalize as a means to support implementation. Attending to philosophical and psychological meaningfulness for users and organizations in which technologies are adopted may offer a useful lens, by linking perceived value to individual behavior changes often required as part of implementing digital health technologies. Lessons learned from developing, evaluating, and implementing the electronic Patient-Reported Outcome (ePRO) tool demonstrate how qualitative methods can be used to uncover meaningfulness. By drawing from this example and other similar studies, this viewpoint offers suggestions on how future inquiry could deepen an understanding of meaningful innovation to help drive the implementation of digital health technologies.
Clustering approaches for high‐dimensional databases: A review

Data mining is an inevitable task in most of the emerging computing technologies as it debilitates the complexity of datasets by rendering a better insight. Moreover, it entails the efficacy to envisage ingeniously the vast and heterogeneous datasets and thus delineates substantial knowledge from the abundance of data by pragmatic implementation of suitable algorithm. There are galore of algorithms in literature for this purpose. Furthermore, clustering is widely used techniques to analyze the data within the purview of data mining and thus it became as a motivational impetus for the authors to survey the existing literature on this topic rigorously and have consequently identified various key parameters so that concomitant improvement can be possible while selecting a best fit clustering algorithm pertaining to a specific problem domain. Furthermore, clustering, classification and association rule mining are akin and indispensable to data mining and owing to these authors have also included interrelation and intertwining among these terms so that this work will presage chunk of help for the researchers working in this field. The present study also envisages and manifests the challenges associated with the clustering algorithms for two‐ and high‐dimensional databases in a flamboyant fashion. Over and above, this work identifies key parametric attributes to assess the clustering algorithms which in turn benevolent the existing work and paves the way for profound future research in this realm.
Yang and Yin in Communication: Towards a Typology and Logic of Persuasion in China

In contrast to the individualistically focused paradigm, this article suggests that persuasion is a relationship- and context-specific phenomenon. The article analyses how interpersonal and mass persuasion operates in Chinese daily life. The key concepts of filial piety and guanxi as a major feature of persuasion in the public sphere are thoroughly analysed. It is argued that persuasion is indispensable in dialogical relationships between the self and other, and between the individual and society; yet at the same time it is indigenous to the socio-cultural context.
Thermoregulation and Flight in Colias Butterflies: Elevational Patterns and Mechanistic Limitations

This study identifies the physical determinants of thermoregulation in Colias, develops and tests models that predict the patterns of body temperature and flight activity along an elevational gradient (1.7-3.9 km), and explores the relationship of the thermoregulatory characteristics to these patterns among Colias populations. The limitations on adaptation provided by environmental vari- ability and the adaptive mechanisms involved are emphasized. Colias behaviorally thermoregulate by body orientation to solar radiation to achieve the body temperatures (30'-40'C) needed for flight. There are differences among Colias populations in solar absorptivity of the ventral hind wing and fur thickness on the ventral thorax which correlate with elevation. Energy balance and behavioral models based on meteorological inputs and the thermoreg- ulatory characteristics of the butterfly are developed and tested. These accurately predict body tem- peratures and flight activity of the population throughout the day at each site. High levels of flight activity occur whenever body temperatures are 30'-40', particularly at higher elevations. Short-term meteorological variation, such as intermittent cloudy periods, can rapidly reduce body temperature excess and flight activity to zero. The time available for flight activity per day is greater in low- elevation than in higher-elevation populations, even when differences in cloudiness are taken into account. Climate space analysis reveals that the overlap in flight space for populations at low and high elevations is -80% for sunny conditions. The minimum possible overlap in flight space between Colias butterflies is -40%, due to limitations imposed by the mechanisms of thermoregulation and wing color determination. These limitations are inadequate to explain the observed differences in flight activity with elevation. The microevolution of thermoregulation in Colias is discussed in terms of mechanistic limitations to adaptation, population tracking of the thermal environment, and the role of environmental variability.
A Comparison of Ketamine or Etomidate Combined with Xylazine for Intraperitoneal Anesthesia in Four Mouse Strains.

Intraperitoneal (IP) injection is a common route of anesthetic administration in mice. Ketamine-xylazine (KX) anesthesia is one of the most widely used IP protocols, but has limitations. Etomidate is an alternative to ketamine that has been used in both human and veterinary medicine yet has not been widely studied in mice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate etomidate-xylazine (EX) anesthesia as an alternative to KX. We hypothesized that EX would be as safe and effective as KX, with both sex- and strain-dependent differences. Male and female Crl:CD1(ICR), C57BL/6NCrl, BALB/cJ and NU/J mice were given a single IP dose of ketamine 100 mg/kg and xylazine 10 mg/kg or etomidate 20 mg/kg and xylazine 10 mg/kg. Sedation times were similar between KX and EX, with CD1 mice exhibiting shorter sedation times. Surgical anesthesia was achievedin 44% of EX mice, compared with 4% of KX mice. C57BL/6NCrl mice were significantly more likely to achieve surgical anesthesia when given EX (94%) or KX (18%) than were other strains. In all strains except C57BL/6NCrl mice, females were more likely to reach surgical anesthesia than males. Several mice experienced an adverse hyperexcitement response during induction, with BALB/cJ (79%) and NU/J (87%) mice given EX significantly more likely than other strains to experience hyperexcitement. EX and KX protocols had no overall differences in lowest respiration rate, lowest systolic blood pressure, lowest rectal temperature, or levels of acidosis, although the lowest heart rates were significantly higher with EX, indicating that EX and KX have similar safety profiles. Thus, EX and KX administration were associated with several significant physiologicdifferences when comparing sexes or individual strains. Our results indicate that EX is an equally effective sedative and a more effective surgical anesthetic than KX; however, EX is only recommended for invasive procedures in C57BL/6 mice dueto the high rate of hyperexcitement and inconsistent surgical depth seen in other strains. Further study is needed to optimize EX for use in multiple mouse strains.
Characterization of Clinical MRSA Isolates from Northern Spain and Assessment of Their Susceptibility to Phage-Derived Antimicrobials

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a prevalent nosocomial pathogen, causing a wide range of diseases. The increased frequency of MRSA isolates in hospitals and the emergence of vancomycin resistance have sparked the search for new control strategies. This study aimed to characterize sixty-seven MRSA isolates collected from both infected patients and asymptomatic carriers in a Spanish hospital. RAPD-PCR allowed the identification of six genetic patterns. We also investigated the presence of genes involved in producing adhesins, toxins and the capsule; the biofilm; and antimicrobial resistance. A notable percentage of the isolates carried virulence genes and showed medium-high ability to form biofilms. Next, we assessed the strains’ susceptibility to two phages (phiIPLA-C1C and phiIPLA-RODI) and one endolysin (LysRODI). All strains were resistant to phiIPLA-C1C, and most (70.2%) were susceptible to phiIPLA-RODI. Regarding LysRODI, all strains displayed susceptibility, although to varying degrees. There was a correlation between endolysin susceptibility and the random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profile or the presence of some virulence genes (fnbA, eta, etb, PVL and czr), but that was not observed with biofilm-forming ability, strain origin or phage sensitivity. Taken together, these findings can help to explain the factors influencing endolysin effectiveness, which will contribute to the development of efficient therapies targeting MRSA infections.
To Sample or Not to Sample? An Analysis of the Need for Salmonella Sampling of Smaller Poultry Processors

Within the European Union (EU), microbiological criteria (MC) sampling for Salmonella in poultry was introduced in 2005. In particular, processors had to meet a target of fewer than seven positive samples out of 50. However, processors producing small amounts of poultry meat did not have to sample if national authorities determined this was an acceptable risk. The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) thus has a sampling regime based on throughput that allows smaller processors not to sample. In 2011, the limit of 7/50 was reduced to 5/50. Given the current uncertainty regarding U.K. trade relations with the EU, the U.K. FSA decided to conduct a new risk assessment of the risks of Salmonella produced by smaller processors, to determine whether sampling was now necessary. Current evidence suggests that an MC sampling regime in smaller slaughterhouses is not warranted from a national public health perspective. Because of the insensitivities of the MC sampling scheme, the introduction of MC sampling into smaller slaughterhouses would only be necessary if the suspected carcass prevalence was 15% or more. While our analysis is prone to uncertainty, we estimated that the carcass prevalence in smaller processors is below this. Thus, we recommended that the current sampling framework, allowing smaller processors not to sample, was still applicable.
The neural mechanisms of audiotactile binding depend on asynchrony

Asynchrony is a critical cue informing the brain whether sensory signals are caused by a common source and should be integrated or segregated. This psychophysics–electroencephalography (EEG) study investigated the influence of asynchrony on how the brain binds audiotactile (AT) signals to enable faster responses in a redundant target paradigm. Human participants actively responded (psychophysics) or passively attended (EEG) to noise bursts, “taps‐to‐the‐face” and their AT combinations at seven AT asynchronies: 0, ±20, ±70 and ±500 ms. Behaviourally, observers were faster at detecting AT than unisensory stimuli within a temporal integration window: the redundant target effect was maximal for synchronous stimuli and declined within a ≤70 ms AT asynchrony. EEG revealed a cascade of AT interactions that relied on different neural mechanisms depending on AT asynchrony. At small (≤20 ms) asynchronies, AT interactions arose for evoked response potentials (ERPs) at 110 ms and ~400 ms post‐stimulus. Selectively at ±70 ms asynchronies, AT interactions were observed for the P200 ERP, theta‐band inter‐trial coherence (ITC) and power at ~200 ms post‐stimulus. In conclusion, AT binding was mediated by distinct neural mechanisms depending on the asynchrony of the AT signals. Early AT interactions in ERPs and theta‐band ITC and power were critical for the behavioural response facilitation within a ≤±70 ms temporal integration window.
Chiral-Label-Free SERS Strategy for Synchronous Chiral Discrimination and Identification of Small Aromatic Molecules.

A versatile and robust chiral discrimination strategy for small aromatic compounds is of significant importance in multidisciplinary fields. However, most current methods lack either the sufficient sensitivity for recognizing the chirality of the target molecules or their molecular specificity information. We have developed a versatile and chiral-label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based chiral discrimination sensing system for small aromatic molecules, where the molecular structural specificity and enantioselectivity can be given synchronously in a single SERS spectrum. More than 10 types of chiral aromatic molecules were successfully identified by using this system. This work has enormous potential for recognizing chiral products effectively in sophisticated systems, especially in the fields of chiral synthesis and chiral catalysis.