Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pentafluoropropionic Anhydride Functionalized PAMAM Dendrimer as miRNA Delivery Reagent

Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers are good candidates for nucleic acid delivery with their well-defined characteristics. MicroRNA (miRNA) mediated regulation of biological process are also active area of investigation. Fibroblast cells, such as MRC-5, are one of the cell lines used in biological researches due to their hard to transfect nature. In this two-staged study, cystamine core G5 PAMAM dendrimers were synthesized and modified with pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PA) and subsequently tested as miRNA delivery reagent on MRC-5 cells. Effect of fluorination against to naked G5 dendrimer over transfection efficiency was also investigated by molecular docking and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) calculations. Structural characterization of the synthesized dendrimers was verified by spectroscopic techniques. Gel retardation assay, particle size and transmission electron microscopy results demonstrated polyplex formation ability of fluorinated dendrimers with miRNA at nanoscale level. Zeta potential values indicated non-aggregation and increased stability of the polyplexes. Prepared polyplexes with fluorinated dendrimer showed over 90% cell viability and transfection efficiency. In silico calculations confirmed the stable complexation with miRNA and smooth penetration capability into the cell.
Effect of Azadirachta indica A. Juss (Meliaceae) on the serotonin rhythm of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

ABSTRACT Circadian rhythms are an adaptive response of organisms to the environment that enables them to measure time. Circadian rhythms are some of the most studied biological rhythms. Serotonin (5HT) has been proposed as their modulator of circadian rhythms, playing a pivotal role in their establishment. However, 5HT concentrations are altered in insect organisms when they feed on some plant extracts. Insects show a variety of rhythms. The larval stage of the lepidopteran Spodoptera frugiperda is a pest of economically important crops. As a response, plants have developed secondary metabolites, such as azadirachtin, obtained from Azadirachta indica. We assessed the circadian rhythm of 5HT in the brain and digestive tube of larvae of S. frugiperda; furthermore, the effect of A. indica extract on the oscillations was evaluated. 5HT modulates the rhythms of locomotor activity, and if extracts of A. indica alter the concentration of 5HT, it can indirectly alter the rhythms of locomotor activity, as well as peristaltic movements of the intestine. Larvae were exposed to a 12 h:12 h light-dark (LD) photoperiod, and half of them remained for 72 h under constant darkness (DD). Tissue samples were obtained at six different times during a single 24 h period, and the amount of 5HT was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Data were statistically compared by a one-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey post hoc test and subjected to Cosinor analysis for assessment of 24 h rhythmicity. The results showed that the A. indica methanolic extract had an effect on the 5HT concentration of the brain and digestive tube of the larvae. In the brain, the 5HT increase in larvae fed with the extract could alter memory, learning, sleep, and locomotor activity processes. Whereas in the intestine, the 5HT decrease in the larvae fed with the extract could decrease peristalsis movements and, therefore, indirectly influence the antifeedant effect.
Avipoxvirus detected in tumor-like lesions in a white-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata)

ABSTRACT: Avipoxvirus is the etiological agent of the avian pox, a well-known disease of captive and wild birds, and it has been associated with tumor-like lesions in some avian species. A white-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata) raised in captivity was referred to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Northeast due to cutaneous nodules present in both wings. A few days after the clinical examination, the animal died naturally. Once submitted to necropsy, histopathological evaluation of the lesions revealed clusters of proliferating epithelial cells expanding toward the dermis. Some of these cells had round, well-defined, intracytoplasmic eosinophilic material suggestive of poxvirus inclusion (Bollinger bodies). PCR performed on the DNA extracted from tissue samples amplified a fragment of the 4b core protein gene (fpv167), which was purified and sequenced. This fragment of Avipoxvirus DNA present in these tumor-like lesions showed high genetic homology (100.0%) with other poxviruses detected in different avian species in several countries, but none of them were related to tumor-like lesions or squamous cell carcinoma. This is the first report of Avipoxvirus detected in tumor-like lesions of a white-faced whistling duck with phylogenetic analysis of the virus.
Political identity, preference, and persuasion

ABSTRACT The current research examines how political identity shapes preferences for objects and messages that highlight either equality or hierarchy. We find that liberals show a greater preference for an object associated with less as opposed to more hierarchy, whereas conservatives do not exhibit such a preference (Study 1). We also find that liberals are more persuaded by persuasive appeals that endorse equality rather than hierarchy, whereas conservatives are less sensitive to this distinction (Study 2). Finally, we identify the moderating role of political identity salience: When one’s political identity is made salient, liberals show an increased preference for messages highlighting equality, whereas conservatives become more persuaded by messages highlighting hierarchy (Study 3).
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CD/CUSEO3 NANOCOMPOSITES

Cd/CuSeO3 nanocomposites were prepared by a facile microwave assisted hydrothermal method using cadmium acetate dihydrate, copper acetate dihydrate and sodium selenite as precursors. The XRD pattern reveals that the material is a composite material Cd/CuSeO3 and the average size of the nanocrystallite is found to be 15 nm. XRD, SEM, EDX and FTIR studies confirm the morphology and composition of Cd/CuSeO3 nanocomposites. The optical band gap energy of the material was estimated using KubelkaMunk relation. PL spectrum of the sample exhibits a sharp, intense peak at 430 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to analyze the stability of the material. Index Terms Nanocomposite, Microwave, hydrothermal, optoelectronics.
Of Money and Morals - The Contingent Effect of Monetary Incentives in Peer-to-Peer Volunteer Computing

Driven by technological advances, the recent trend of the sharing economy has brought up multiple globally successful companies, a disruption of business models, and presumably more sustainable alternatives to traditional resource allocation and consumption. Instead of depending only on professional companies, people increasingly share their resources in peer-to-peer networks. In volunteer computing systems, for example, device owners share their spare computational resources with other users. Despite the success stories in other businesses in the sharing economy, however, the popularity of such peer-to-peer computing systems has remained limited. The authors focus on the perspective of resource providers and develop a framework of the effectiveness of monetary incentives to motivate resource providers in volunteer computing. Drawing from Relational Models Theory and Motivation Crowding Theory, the framework proposes a three-way interaction between monetary incentives, social relationships, i.e., sharing with anonymous users versus with friends, and the individual predisposition of the user, i.e., their moral identity centrality. Informed by a preliminary survey, a between subjects experiment tests the propositions and delivers full support for the hypothesized contingencies. Monetary incentives can enhance the intrinsic motivation to share resources when sharing takes place amongst anonymous users. However, paying monetary rewards can disrupt motivation when sharing takes place among friends, especially when users have a high moral identity centrality. The authors discuss their result in the light of their conceptual and practical implications.
Inverse modeling of NOx emissions at regional scale over northern France: Preliminary investigation of the second‐order sensitivity

[1] The purpose of this article is to perform the inverse modeling of emissions at regional scale for photochemical applications. The case study is the region of Lille in northern France for simulations in May 1998. The chemistry-transport model, Polair3D, has been validated with 1 year of model-to-observation comparisons over Lille. Polair3D has an adjoint mode, which enables inverse modeling with a variational approach. A sensitivity analysis has been performed so as to select the emission parameters to be modified in order to improve ozone forecasts. It has been shown that inverse modeling of the time distribution of nitrogen oxide emissions leads to satisfactory improvements even after the learning period. A key issue is the robustness of the inverted emissions with respect to uncertain parameters. A brute force second-order sensitivity analysis of the optimized emissions has been performed with respect to other parameters and has proven that the optimized time distribution of NOx emissions is robust.
Enabling Interactive Mesh Quality Exploration of Large-scale CFD Simulations in Virtual Environments

Mesh quality is one of the key factors in the success and accuracy of computational fluid dynamics simulations. While current simulations are paving the way towards extreme-scale problems, mesh quality exploration becomes challenging. Due to the fact that such simulations are time consuming, an immediate on-thefly mesh analysis tool is strongly desired in order to adjust running simulations and prevent failure. We present an interactive mesh exploration tool in a virtual environment which employs volume rendering techniques with user defined regions of interest as well as error thresholding functionality. Our approach provides an in-situ visualization of the mesh quality for an ongoing simulation process, allowing domain experts to locate and modify ill-defined mesh regions at the current simulation time step. Furthermore, virtual environments enable detailed inspection and exploration of large meshes, reducing visual clutter and allowing for rapid and interactive identification of mesh errors.
Spectroscopic imaging ellipsometry for characterization of nanofilm pattern on Si substrate

Spectroscopic imaging ellipsometry (SIE) is used to characterize a nanofilm pattern on a solid substrate. The combination of a xenon lamp, a monochromator, and collimating optics is utilized to provide a probe beam with diameter of 25 mm, a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera with an imaging lens set and a lateral resolution in tens of microns is used as the detector. The sampling is approached by a rotating compensator at 8 seconds per wavelength. An 8–35-nm-thick stepped SiO2 on Si substrate is characterized in the range of 400–700 nm with a thickness resolution of approximate 0.2 nm. OCIS codes: 300.0300, 310.0310, 120.0120, 240.0240. doi: 10.3788/COL201008S1.0114.
Teachers' choices for the teaching career and their teacher-student interpersonal relationships in the classroom

This paper reports on the relationships between teachers’ reasons forchoosing a teaching career and their interpersonal behaviour in the classroom. In doing so,it extends international research with the FIT-Choice scale - an instrument that examinesdifferent classes of teachers’ motivations: perceived abilities; intrinsic, personal & socialutility values; and task perceptions (Richardson & Watt, 2006; Watt & Richardson, 2007,2008) – to the context of the Netherlands. It also contributes by linking the framework toresearch on teacher-student interpersonal behaviour in the classroom (Wubbels,Brekelmans, den Brok & van Tartwijk, 2006). Teacher-student interpersonal behaviour isconceptualised here in terms of two major dimensions: control (the degree to which theteacher determines the interaction) and affiliation (the degree to which teachers andstudents are cooperative or oppositional). Prior research suggests that teacher-studentinterpersonal behaviour is strongly linked to other teaching variables, teacher stress orburn-out, but also to student outcomes (Wubbels et al., 2006).
Does California’s EMFAC2017 vehicle emissions model underpredict California light-duty gasoline vehicle NO x emissions?

ABSTRACT On-road remote sensing measurements of light and medium-duty gasoline vehicles collected within California’s South Coast Air Basin since 1999 generally fall within the range of observed summer ambient molar NO x /CO measurements collected during morning rush hours. Compared with ambient and on-road emissions, the California Air Resources Board EMFAC model underpredicts 2018 gasoline vehicle NO x emission factors by more than a factor of 2.6. Contributing to these differences is that vehicles older than model year 2006 have NO x emission deterioration rates that are up to four times higher on-road than predicted by the EMFAC model. A fuel-based inventory using the 2018 on-road gasoline emission factors for CO and NOx results in total CO emissions similar to the basin inventory but NOx emissions that are 74% higher than the inventory. The higher NO x emission estimates from on-road gasoline vehicle measurements make their contribution to the inventory slightly larger than heavy-duty diesel vehicles. We have found LEV I (1994–2003) gasoline vehicles are a major source of these on-road emissions and that significant NOx reductions in the South Coast Air Basin are being overlooked by not targeting the high emitters for removal. Implications: A comparison of ambient and on-road vehicle molar NOx/CO ratios collected in California’s South Coast Air Basin with those predicted by California’s EMFAC2017 vehicle emissions model shows that the model significantly underpredicts NOx emission factors for gasoline vehicles. This results in a 74% underestimate of the contribution of gasoline vehicles to the basin’s NOx inventory, with the contribution from gasoline vehicles comparable to that from heavy-duty diesel trucks. This likely means that current projections for future NOx emission reductions from mobile sources in the basin will not be realized unless additional NOx reductions are obtained from older gasoline vehicles.
Memory-Enhancing Effects of Mangosteen Pericarp Water Extract through Antioxidative Neuroprotection and Anti-Apoptotic Action

Mangosteen has long been utilized as a traditional medicine in Southeast Asia. Diverse extracts of mangosteen pericarp and its bioactive xanthones exhibit various bioactivities. However, the pharmacological potential of mangosteen pericarp water extract (MPW) has not been reported yet. This study used primary cultured rat cortical cells to investigate the effect of MPW on neurotoxicity. We found that MPW inhibited neurotoxicity and production of reactive oxygen species triggered by Aβ(25–35) or excitatory amino acids. MPW inhibited caspase 3 activation and DNA fragmentation in Aβ(25–35)- or N-methyl-D-aspartate-treated cells, suggesting an anti-apoptotic action. Additionally, MPW reduced lipid peroxidation and scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals, assuring its antioxidant property. Furthermore, MPW suppressed β-secretase and acetylcholinesterase activities. These findings prompted us to evaluate its effect on memory dysfunction in scopolamine-treated mice using Morris water maze test. Oral administration of MPW at the dosage of 50, 100, or 300 mg/kg for four days significantly decreased the latency time to find the platform and markedly increased the swimming time in the target quadrant. Taken together, our results suggest that MPW exerts memory-enhancing effect through antioxidative neuroprotection and anti-apoptotic action. Accordingly, MPW may have a potential to prevent or treat memory impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
MORPHOLOGY AND COMPOSITION OF CHROMITE IN KOMATIITES FROM THE BELINGWE GREENSTONE BELT, ZIMBABWE

Chromite grains in nearly fresh Archean komatiites from the late Archean Belingwe greenstone belt (ca. 2.7 Ga), in Zimbabwe, have diverse morphologies: skeletal and dendritic chromite is restricted to spinifex zones, whereas euhedral grains occur throughout the flows. Systematic differences in chromite compositions ate present between the spinifex (iop) and cumulate (base) zones of the flows and between skeletal and euhedral chromite. Two stages of crystallization have been identified: an early euhedral core is mantled later by skeletal chromite. The core is enriched in Mg and Cr, but depleted in Fe, Ti and Mn relative to the skeletal rim, in a manner similar to variations in compositions of euhedral chromite from the top to the base of the flows. Accordingly, the euhedral chromite and the core of skeletal chromite in the spinifex zones could have formed at an early stage, in equilibrium with a large volume of magma, whereas the skeletal mantle could have formed rapidly from a small volume of evolved residual liquid after eruption of the magma. Thermometry based on the pair chromite-olivine may provide an estimate of the ambient conditions of the komatiitic liquids, Chromite in komatiites has uniform Al contents and characteristic compositional trends, distinct from chromite in mafic-ultramafic rocks from other geodynamic settings, thereby providing an independent means of discriminating its origin.
Thermalization and light cones in a model with weak integrability breaking

We employ equation of motion techniques to study the non-equilibrium dynamics in a lattice model of weakly interacting spinless fermions. Our model provides a simple setting for analyzing the effects of weak integrability breaking perturbations on the time evolution after a quantum quench. We establish the accuracy of the method by comparing results at short and intermediate times to time-dependent density matrix renormalization group computations. For sufficiently weak integrability-breaking interactions we always observe prethermalization plateaux, where local observables relax to non-thermal values at intermediate time scales. At later times a crossover towards thermal behaviour sets in. We determine the associated time scale, which depends on the initial state, the band structure of the non-interacting theory, and the strength of the integrability breaking perturbation. Our method allows us to analyze in some detail the spreading of correlations and in particular the structure of the associated light cones in our model. We find that the interior and exterior of the light cone are separated by an intermediate region, the temporal width of which appears to scale with a universal power-law $t^{1/3}$.
Time, frequency and information domain analysis of short-term heart rate variability before and after focal and generalized seizures in epileptic children

Objective: In this work we explore the potential of combining standard time and frequency domain indexes with novel information measures, to characterize pre- and post-ictal heart rate variability (HRV) in epileptic children, with the aim of differentiating focal and generalized epilepsy regarding the autonomic control mechanisms. Approach: We analyze short-term HRV in 37 children suffering from generalized or focal epilepsy, monitored 10 s, 300 s, 600 s and 1800 s both before and after seizure episodes. Nine indexes are computed in time (mean, standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals, root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD)), frequency (low-to-high frequency power ratio LF/HF, normalized LF and HF power) and information (entropy, conditional entropy and self-entropy) domains. Focal and generalized epilepsy are compared through statistical analysis of the indexes and using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Main results: In children with focal epilepsy, early post-ictal phase is characterized by significant tachycardia, depressed HRV, increased LF power and LF/HF, and decreased complexity, progressively recovered across time windows after the episodes. Children with generalized seizures instead show significant tachycardia, lower RMSSD, higher LF power and LF/HF ratio before the seizure. These different behaviors are exploited by LDA analysis to separate focal and generalized epilepsy up to an accuracy of 75%. Results suggest a shift of the sympatho-vagal balance towards sympathetic dominance and vagal withdrawal, noticeable just after the termination of seizure episodes and then reverted in focal epilepsy, and persistent during inter-ictal and pre-ictal periods in generalized epilepsy. Significance: Our analysis helps in elucidating the pathophysiology of inter-ictal HRV autonomic control and the differential diagnosis of generalized and focal epilepsy. These findings may have clinical relevance since altered sympatho-vagal control can be related to a higher danger of morbidity and mortality, may reduce thresholds for life-threatening arrhythmias, and could be a biomarker of risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Association of Social Adversity with Comorbid Diabetes and Depression Symptoms in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study: A Syndemic Framework.

BACKGROUND U.S. Hispanics/Latinos experience high lifetime risk for Type 2 diabetes and concurrent psychological depression. This comorbidity is associated with poorer self-management, worse disease outcomes, and higher mortality. Syndemic theory is a novel social epidemiological framework that emphasizes the role of economic and social adversity in promoting disease comorbidity and health disparities. PURPOSE Informed by the syndemic framework, this study explored associations of socioeconomic and psychosocial adversity (low income/education, trauma history, adverse childhood experiences, ethnic discrimination, neighborhood problems [e.g., violence]) with comorbidity of diabetes and depression symptoms in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) and Sociocultural Ancillary Study. METHODS Participants were 5,247 Latino adults, aged 18-74, enrolled in four U.S. cities from 2008 to 2011. Participants completed a baseline physical exam and measures of depression symptoms and psychosocial adversity. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations of adversity variables with comorbid diabetes and high depression symptoms. RESULTS Household income below $30,000/year was associated with higher odds of diabetes/depression comorbidity (odds ratio [OR] = 4.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.89, 7.33) compared to having neither condition, as was each standard deviation increase in adverse childhood experiences (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.71), ethnic discrimination (OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.50), and neighborhood problems (OR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.30, 1.80). CONCLUSION Low household income, adverse childhood experiences, ethnic discrimination, and neighborhood problems are related to comorbid diabetes and depression in U.S. Latinos. Future studies should explore these relationships longitudinally.