Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surface molecular anchoring in microconfined liquid crystals near the nematic-smectic-A transition.

The effect of the diverging bend elastic constant, K 33 , on the nematic director field of 4'-octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) in submicrometer cylindrical cavities in a polycarbonate matrix, as the nematic-smetic-A phase transition is approached, is investigated with deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance ( 2 H-NMR). The 2 H-NMR spectra and the use of Frank elastic theory enable us to monitor the actual surface anchoring angle profile, determine the density of point defects in the escaped structure, and estimate the anchoring strength to be W θ =7×10 -4 J/m 2 , which is temperature independent
Targeted cationic poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for gene delivery to cultured cells

We developed a new targeted cationic nanoparticulate system composed of poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), 1,2-dioleoyl-3-(trimethylammonium) propane (DOTAP) and asialofetuin (AF), and found it to be a highly effective formulation for gene delivery to liver tumor cells. The nanoparticles (NP) were prepared by a modified solvent evaporation process that used two protocols in order to encapsulate (NP1 particles) or adsorb (NP2 particles) plasmid DNA. The final particles are in the nanoscale range. pDNA loaded in PLGA/DOTAP/AF particles with high loading efficiency showed a positive surface charge. Targeted asialofetuin-nanoparticles (AF-NP) carrying genes encoding for luciferase and interleukin-12 (IL-12) resulted in increased transfection efficiencies compared to free DNA and to plain (non-targeted) systems, even in the presence of 60% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The results of transfections performed on HeLa cells, defective in asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPr-), confirmed the receptor-mediated endocytosis mechanism. In summary, this is the first time that asialoglycoprotein receptor targeting by PLGA/DOTAP/DNA nanoparticles carrying the therapeutic gene IL-12 has been shown to be efficient in gene delivery to liver cancer cells in the presence of a very high concentration of serum, and this could be a potential system for in vivo application.
[Edematous syndromes caused by capillary hyperpermeability. Diffuse angioedema].

Les syndromes œdemateux par trouble de la permeabilite capillaire ont des caracteres cliniques communs. Leur diagnostic repose sur le test de Laudis isotopique qui permet d'evaluer l'hyperpermeabilite capillaire et le trouble de resorption lymphatique souvent associe
Joint Estimation of Relative Risk for Dengue and Zika Infections, Colombia, 2015–2016

We jointly estimated relative risk for dengue and Zika virus disease (Zika) in Colombia, establishing the spatial association between them at the department and city levels for October 2015–December 2016. Cases of dengue and Zika were allocated to the 87 municipalities of 1 department and the 293 census sections of 1 city in Colombia. We fitted 8 hierarchical Bayesian Poisson joint models of relative risk for dengue and Zika, including area- and disease-specific random effects accounting for several spatial patterns of disease risk (clustered or uncorrelated heterogeneity) within and between both diseases. Most of the dengue and Zika high-risk municipalities varied in their risk distribution; those for Zika were in the northern part of the department and dengue in the southern to northeastern parts. At city level, spatially clustered patterns of dengue high-risk census sections indicated Zika high-risk areas. This information can be used to inform public health decision making.
Effect of fluoride on crystal growth of calcium apatites in the presence of a salivary inhibitor.

The effect of fluoride on the kinetics of crystal growth of calcium apatites was studied using seed crystals of hydroxyapatite coated with PRP-3, a proline-rich phosphoprotein salivary inhibitor of crystal growth. Initial precipitation rates in the presence of PRP-3, under conditions of partial inhibition, were enhanced by fluoride, effectively counteracting the inhibitory activity of the macromolecule. This rate enhancement is related to an increase in the precipitation driving force, i.e., the degree of supersaturation with respect to the precipitating phase; in this case a fluoridated hydroxyapatite. The growth of this phase takes place at the uncovered crystal growth sites which have been previously shown to be the same sites as the adsorption sites for the protein inhibitors. Explanations based on fluoride activation of secondary crystal growth sites and on the displacement of adsorbed inhibitor by fluoride are not substantiated by the present results. It has been demonstrated that under conditions of maximum coverage of available crystal growth sites by PRP-3, resulting in no apparent crystal growth, measurable crystal growth is observed upon the addition of fluoride (1 ppm). This phenomenon is best explained by the fact that at maximum PRP-3 coverage, a small number (16%) of crystal growth sites remain uncovered, which support an unmeasurable rate of crystal growth. Upon the addition of fluoride, this rate is significantly enhanced. It is suggested that the fraction of uncovered growth sites is related to steric interactions of the PRP-3 molecule in the adsorbed state. Overall, the results presented suggest that fluoride can accelerate crystal growth in an environment such as the enamel surface where the acquired pellicle is formed.
Electric Vehicle Battery Life Extension Using Ultracapacitors and an FPGA Controlled Interleaved Buck–Boost Converter

This paper describes the implementation of a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) using ultracapacitors (UCs) to protect the batteries of an electrical vehicle (EV) from high-peak currents and therefore extend their lifetime. A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) controlled interleaved bidirectional buck-boost converter working in a discontinuous conduction mode, has been designed to transfer the energy between the batteries and the UCs. The FPGA is responsible of generating all the converter gate signals and implements the control stage needed to smooth the battery current peaks. The control strategy is based on dividing the current demand of the motor into two parts (high-frequency current and low-frequency current), the batteries supply the low frequency part and the UCs supply the high-frequency part. Experimental tests have been carried out driving the EV under different scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate the good behavior of the proposed HESS, although the potential battery life extension is still under quantification. The consumption of the EV has been increased due to the converter losses, this increase is minimum under typical driving scenarios, but is quite important in start-stop driving cycles.
Toward a Resilient Global Society: Air, Sea Level, Earthquakes, and Weather

Society's progress along the four corners of prepare, absorb, respond and adapt resilience square is uneven, in spite of our understanding of the foundational science and a growing sense that urgent action is needed. The resilience vignettes describe the meaning and impact of current and near‐term change in four major domains: human health impacts from air pollution, coastal inundation from sea‐level rise, damaging earthquakes in populated areas, and impacts from extreme precipitation. Given our understanding of the scientific principles, societal action, from preparation to adaption, will be critical in minimizing the negative impacts of change. The unprecedented rates of change in today's Earth system argue for urgent action in support of a resilient global society.
Design of a vibration energy harvester by twin lateral magnetoelectric transducers

Scavenging energy from vibration is important for several fields of science and technology. A big challenge thereby is to realize miniaturized solutions able to deliver sufficient energy for supply a wireless sensor node. A magnetoelectric (ME) vibration energy harvester based on a twin laminate composite of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials was designed, developed and tested. The vibration converter uses simultaneously two transversely polarized PZT plates and two longitudinally magnetized Terfenol-D plates placed within a magnetic field. The presented design can make the best use of the magnetic field produced by the magnetic circuit. The repulsion force is generated by two magnetic springs leading to less friction than a classical mechanical spring. The implementation issues of the harvester have been subjected to several experimental studies using an adjustable artificial excitation source. The results show that doubling the amplitude of vibration leads to an energy output which is four times more. The comparison with a single transducer shows that the twin lateral converter reaches especially at resonance frequency the one and half energy outcome.
Multiple-Group Invariance with Categorical Outcomes Using Updated Guidelines: An Illustration Using Mplus and the lavaan/semTools Packages

Meaningful comparisons of means or relationships between latent constructs across groups require evidence that measurement is equivalent across the studied groups– a property known as measurement equivalence or invariance (ME/I). Methods typically involve an evaluation of increasingly stringent models via confirmatory factor analysis, a typical assumption of which is continuous observed variables. When that assumption is not met – as is often the case in many surveys – alternative methods that directly model the categorical nature of the data exist. Although well established, categorical ME/I models pose a number of complexities and various recommendations for their evaluation. To that end, we describe the current state of categorical ME/I and demonstrate an up-to-date method for model identification and invariance testing. In the tutorial, we exemplify a common approach to establishing ME/I via multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis using Mplus and the lavaan and semTools packages in R.
Lysine 3 acetylation regulates the phosphorylation of yeast 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase under hypo-osmotic stress

Abstract N-terminal acetylation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is catalysed by any of three N-terminal acetyltransferases (NAT), NatA, NatB, and NatC, which contain the catalytic subunits Ard1p, Nat3p and Mak3p, respectively. Yeast 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFK2) was found to be acetylated at the amino acid lysine 3. The Lys3-Arg mutant was not acetylated and the mutation causes a slight decrease in enzyme activity. PFK2 from yeast cells exposed to hypo-osmotic stress is known to be phos-phorylated at Ser8 and Ser652 (Dihazi et al., 2001a). We have taken a mass spectrometric approach to investigate the influence of PFK2 acetylation on its phosphorylation. Wild-type PFK2 and the Lys3-Arg mutant were purified from hypo-osmotically stressed cells and analysed with MALDI-TOF MS for phosphorylation. Wild-type PFK2 without any tag sequence was found to be acetylated and two times phosphorylated at the N-terminal peptide T1–40 carrying the acetylation. The same results were observed with C-terminally His-tagged PFK2. When the His-tag was added to the N-terminus of the protein PFK2, acetylation was found to be incomplete and only one phosphate was incorporated in the peptide T1–41. The Lys3-Arg mutant of PFK2 was not at all post-translationally modified at the N-terminal peptide. Our data indicate that Lys3 acetylation affects the N-terminal phosphorylation of PFK2 under hypo-osmotic stress.
Detection of mRNA Transcripts and Active Transcription in Persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosisInduced by Exposure to Rifampin or Pyrazinamide

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis can persist in an altered physiological state for many years after initial infection, and it may reactivate to cause active disease. An analogous persistent state, possibly consisting of several different subpopulations of bacteria, may arise during chemotherapy; this state is thought to be responsible for the prolonged period required for effective chemotherapy. Using two models of drug-induced persistence, we show that both microaerophilic stationary-phase M. tuberculosis treated with a high dose of rifampin in vitro and pyrazinamide-induced persistent bacteria in mice are nonculturable yet still contain 16S rRNA and mRNA transcripts. Also, the in vitro persistent, plate culture-negative bacteria incorporate radioactive uridine into their RNA in the presence of rifampin and can rapidly up-regulate gene transcription after the replacement of the drug with fresh medium and in response to heat shock. Our results show that persistent M. tuberculosis has transcriptional activity. This finding provides a molecular basis for the rational design of drugs targeted at persistent bacteria.
Coverage of the university curricula for the Software Engineering industry in Mexico

Making to match the software industry requirements with the academy is a significant challenge that must be accomplished for the benefit of both sectors. In Mexico, the small and medium size companies (SMEs) are key for the software development, in such a way that having highly capable personal in the development of high quality software products is a fundamental piece to warranty their permanency in the market. In this context, the Mexican organizations for the accreditation to ensure quality in Software Engineering are: for the SMEs software industry, the Moprosoft norm; and for the undergraduate education institutions in Computer Science and Informatics, the CONAIC. In this document a comparative analysis is made to understand the coverage of the academic curricula in higher education, regarding the software industry requirements; based on what these government norms establish for their accreditation.
Relationships among Different Subjective Measurements of Consumer Health Information Retrieval Performance

BACKGROUND Millions of consumers perform health information retrieval (HIR) online. To better understand the consumers' perspective on HIR performance, we conducted an observation and interview study of 97 health information consumers. METHODS Consumers were asked to perform HIR tasks and we recorded their view regarding performance using several differ-ent subjective measurements: finding the desired information, usefulness of the information found, satisfaction with the information, and intention to continue searching. Statistical analysis was applied to verify if the multiple subjective measurements were redundant. RESULT The measurements ranged from slight agreement to no agreement among them. A number of reasons were identified for this lack of agreement. CONCLUSION Although related, the four subjective measurements of HIR performance are distinct from each other and carried different useful information
Evolução do crédito industrial no Brasil: uma análise a partir de fatores macroeconômicos

O objetivo deste trabalho consistiu em analisar a influencia das variaveis macroeconomicas sobre o credito industrial no Brasil, no periodo pos-estabilizacao. Essa discussao tem como cenario, de um lado, a trajetoria descendente do credito industrial nos anos recentes e, de outro, as politicas expansionistas destinadas a industria. Para o alcance dos objetivos, foi estimado um modelo de correcao de erros com o qual foi possivel analisar as dinâmicas de longo e de curto prazo. Os resultados apontam para a recorrente influencia da taxa de câmbio e do produto agregado na explicacao do comportamento das operacoes de credito industrial na economia brasileira, tanto no curto quanto no longo prazo. Alem disso, salientam-se os efeitos mais prolongados do produto sobre o credito industrial, enquanto que as variaveis de politica, a excecao do câmbio, apresentaram efeitos temporarios.
Novel approach on lifting-based DWT and IDWT processor with multi-context configuration to support different wavelet filters

In this paper, we propose a lifting-based DWT processor that can perform various forward and inverse transforms. Contrary to other lifting-based processors which focus on JPEG2000, our design is based on the fact that the wavelet transformations are not used only in the area of image processing and wavelet filters may not be represented as integer numbers. The proposed architecture is based on NxM processing elements which require only one multiplier and one adder to perform prediction/update on a continuous data stream. The multi-context feature allows the processor to be configured for different types of transformations in a simple manner.
Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles

The use of microorganisms in the synthesis of nanoparticles emerges as an eco-friendly and exciting approach. Several microorganisms have been known to produce silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), when silver molecules are exposed either intracellularly or extracellularly. Intracellular synthesis may accomplish a better control over the size and shape distributions of the nanoparticles, product harvesting, and recovery are more cumbersome and expensive. The extracellular synthesis by comparison is more adaptable to the synthesis of a wider range of nanoparticles systems. These silver nanoparticles are found to play a major role in the field of nanotechnology and nanomedicine. This review is thus an overview of Ag NPs, biosynthesis by biosynthetic methods such as biological microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and plants extract and their advantages.
Fast and accurate decisions through collective vigilance in fish shoals

Although it has been suggested that large animal groups should make better decisions than smaller groups, there are few empirical demonstrations of this phenomenon and still fewer explanations of the how these improvements may be made. Here we show that both speed and accuracy of decision making increase with group size in fish shoals under predation threat. We examined two plausible mechanisms for this improvement: first, that groups are guided by a small proportion of high-quality decision makers and, second, that group members use self-organized division of vigilance. Repeated testing of individuals showed no evidence of different decision-making abilities between individual fish. Instead, we suggest that shoals achieve greater decision-making efficiencies through division of labor combined with social information transfer. Our results should prompt reconsideration of how we view cooperation in animal groups with fluid membership.
Molecular analysis of human oral microbiota.

OBJECTIVES The application of molecular, mainly 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-based approaches enables researchers to bypass the cultivation step and has proven its usefulness in studying the microbial composition in a variety of ecosystems, including the human oral cavity. In this mini-review, we describe the impact of these culture-independent approaches on our knowledge of the ecology of the human oral cavity and provide directions for future studies that should emphasize the role of specific strains, species and groups of microbes in periodontal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS Recent findings are summarized to elucidate the relationship between periodontal disease and human oral microbiota, including as-yet-to-be-cultured organisms. RESULTS The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed to detect and quantify periodontopathic bacteria, such as Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythensis (formerly Bacteroides forsythus) and Treponema denticola. The checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization technique allowed enumeration of large numbers of species in very large numbers of samples. 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis revealed the diversity of human oral microbiota and the existence of as-yet-to-be-cultured organisms that are presumed periodontal pathogens. In addition, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis was applied for assessment of diversity of human oral microbiota. CONCLUSION Culture-independent approaches are useful for studying the microbial ecology in the human oral cavity and should be useful in the future to elucidate the etiology of periodontal disease.
The Comparative Policy Agendas Project: theory, measurement and findings*

Abstract The Policy Agendas Project (PAP) was developed in the United States in the early 1990s as a means of collecting data on the contents of the policy agenda. The PAP coding method has subsequently been employed in the United Kingdom, a number of European countries, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, as well as the state of Pennsylvania (http://www.comparativeagendas.org/). What does PAP measure? How does it measure it? What does it find? How does it explain what it finds? We use these questions to structure our review.
The new type 2 diabetes gene TCF7L2

Purpose of reviewCommon variants in the gene that encodes the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) have been strongly associated with type 2 diabetes. This highly reproducible association may uncover novel mechanisms of glycemic pathophysiology. Recent findingsThe initial publication of an association of common variants in TCF7L2 with type 2 diabetes in people of European descent has been followed by an avalanche of replication reports. These papers not only confirm the original finding, but also extend it to other populations, fine map the source of the association signal, describe its effect on metabolic parameters in humans, open the door to a more precise molecular characterization, and provide an insight into its possible impact on diabetes therapy. SummaryThe discovery of TCF7L2 as a diabetes gene illustrates that novel true diabetes genes can be found, their association with type 2 diabetes replicated and their effect incorporated into risk prediction models. It is hoped that the detection of other such genes in genome-wide association scans will help elucidate the genetic architecture of this disease.
Analysis of transient processes in a susceptible motion transmission pump drive system with asynchronous motor

The paper presents mathematical model of the hydraulic system using the generalized variation method. The hydraulic system consists of a power transformer, capacitor banks and deep-bar asynchronous pump drives with susceptible movement transmission. The element of motion transmission is a flexible coupling with mechanical lumped parameters. On the base of the developed model, electromechanical transient processes in the drive system are analyzed. The final system state equations are presented in the normal form of Cauchy. The equations are solved using hidden numerical methods. The results of the computer simulation are presented in graphic form. Streszczenie. W pracy, wykorzystując uogólnioną metodę wariacyjną zaproponowano model matematyczny układu hydraulicznego, który składa się z transformatora mocy, baterii kondensatorów oraz głębokożłobkowych asynchronicznych napędów pompowych o podatnej transmisji ruchu. Elementem transmisji ruchu jest sprzęgło elastyczne o mechanicznych parametrach skupionych. Na podstawie opracowanego modelu analizuje się elektromechaniczne procesy nieustalone w układzie napędowym. Końcowe równania stanu systemu przedstawione są w normalnej postaci Cauchy’ego i są rozwiązywane za pomocą ukrytych metod numerycznych. Wyniki symulacji komputerowej przedstawiono w postaci graficznej. (Analiza procesów nieustalonych w pompowym układzie napędowym z silnikiem asynchronicznym o podatnej transmisji ruchu).