Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dielectrophoretic concentration of low-abundance nanoparticles using a nanostructured tip

Electric field-induced concentration has the potential for application in highly sensitive detection of nanoparticles (NPs) for disease diagnosis and drug discovery. Conventional two-dimensional planar electrodes, however, have shown limited sensitivity in NP concentration. In this paper, the dielectrophoretic (DEP) concentration of low-abundance NPs is studied using a nanostructured tip where a high electric field of 3 × 107 V m−1 is generated. In experimental studies, individual 2, 10, and 100 nm Au NPs are concentrated to a nanotip using DEP concentration and are detected by scanning transmission and scanning electron microscopes. The DEP force on Au NPs near the end of a nanotip is computed according to the distance, and then compared with Brownian motion-induced force. The computational study shows qualitative agreement with the experimental results. When the experimental conditions for DEP concentration are optimized for 8 nm-long oligonucleotides, the sensitivity of a nanotip is 10 aM (10 attomolar; nine copies in a 1.5 μl sample volume). This DEP concentrator using a nanotip can be used for molecular detection without amplification.
Charge Attraction and β Propensity Are Necessary for Amyloid Fibril Formation from Tetrapeptides*

Amyloid fibrils in which specific proteins have polymerized into a cross-β-sheet structure are found in about 20 diseases. In contrast to the close structural similarity of fibrils formed in different amyloid diseases, the structures of the corresponding native proteins differ widely. We show here that peptides as short as 4 residues with the sequences KFFE or KVVE can form amyloid fibrils that are practically identical to fibrils formed in association with disease, as judged by electron microscopy and Congo red staining. In contrast, KLLE or KAAE do not form fibrils. The fibril-forming KFFE and KVVE show partial β-strand conformation in solution, whereas the non-fibril-forming KLLE and KAAE show random structure only, suggesting that inherent propensity for β-strand conformation promotes fibril formation. The peptides KFFK or EFFE do not form fibrils on their own but do so in an equimolar mixture. Thus, intermolecular electrostatic interactions, either between charged dipolar peptides or between complementary charges of co-fibrillating peptides favor fibril formation.
How do we maintain a credible diaconia for the future

Abstract Both, open markets for social services in the EU and the secularisation, challenge diaconia in Germany. The article argues that for the future diaconia has to clarify its relation to the church and to the public welfare as well. Only if there is a strong link between diaconal activities and the proclamation of the gospel, diaconia can enjoy the privileges of the ecclesiastic employment law. In addition, the link to the church is a condition sine qua non for diaconia's credibility. This positioning leads to a clear distinction between diaconia and public welfare: Whereas the services of public welfare are a duty, owed by justice, diaconia's activities arise from compassion.
Cryptic plasmid of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: complete nucleotide sequence and genetic organization

The naturally occurring cryptic plasmid pJD1 of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is 4,207 base pairs long and is found in about 96% of gonococcal strains. The total probable coding capacity of pJD1 was determined from the complete nucleotide sequence by using computational probes to identify open reading frames with similar codon usage and by screening for the presence of ribosomal binding sites before the start codons. Candidates for promoters and terminators were also found in the sequence. Based on these findings, we propose a model for the genetic organization of the plasmid. The model predicts two transcriptional units, each composed of five compactly spaced genes. A promoter of one of the transcripts was shown to function in Escherichia coli, and the products of three of the five genes in this operon were identified in minicell expression experiments. Of these, the cppA gene encoded a 9-kilodalton protein, and the cppB and cppC genes both coded for 24-kilodalton proteins. No expression of the other transcriptional unit was detected, but two genes in this operon were expressed in minicells when transcribed from an E. coli promoter. The experimental data were consistent with the model.
Duration Of Human Singleton Pregnancy: A Population‐based Study

We have analysed the duration of pregnancy for singleton births in Sweden during 1976–80 by means of data from the Swedish Birth Registry. Information, which was obtained from special forms with standard questions, include date of first day of last menstrual period (LMP) and whether that date was considered reliable or not. Recording was done prospectively, starting at the first antenatal visit. In 10% of cases the dates were labelled uncertain. Information on LMP and birth dates, parity, age of mother, sex of child, and/or mode of delivery was missing in 5.5% of the singleton cases, leaving 427,581 singleton births for analysis. In cases of reliable menstrual dates, the average duration from LMP to vaginal birth was 282 days (median), 281 days (mean) and 283 days (mode), remaining constant over the years of study. One standard deviation of the mean was approximately 13 days, varying slightly with age and parity. Ten per cent of these women gave birth post term (past 294 days). The duration of cesarean section births became shorter over the years, in spite of little change in cesarean section frequency (9.5% in 1976–7 and 10.9% in 1979–80). Mothers aged 35 and over tended to give birth 2 days earlier than those below 35. Second and subsequent children of mothers below 35 had slightly shorter gestations than firstborns. Boys were born earlier than girls, on average. When LMP was unreliable, the distribution of gestational lengths was wide. We also noted a seasonal rhythmicity in average duration of pregnancy, with consistent shortening in the month of December.
Infection rates in patients from five rheumatoid arthritis (RA) registries: contextualising an RA clinical trial programme

Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of serious infections. Comparing infection rates across RA populations is complicated by differences in background infection risk, population composition and study methodology. We measured infection rates from five RA registries globally, with the aim to contextualise infection rates from an RA clinical trials population. Methods We used data from Consortium of Rheumatology Research of North America (CORRONA) (USA), Swedish Rheumatology Quality of Care Register (Sweden), Norfolk Arthritis Register (UK), CORRONA International (multiple countries) and Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis (Japan) and an RA clinical trial programme (fostamatinib). Within each registry, we analysed a main cohort of all patients with RA from January 2000 to last available data. Infection definitions were harmonised across registries. Sensitivity analyses to address potential confounding explored subcohorts defined by disease activity, treatment change and/or prior comorbidities and restriction by calendar time or follow-up. Rates of infections were estimated and standardised to the trial population for age/sex and, in one sensitivity analysis also, for Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score. Results Overall, age/sex-standardised rates of hospitalised infection were quite consistent across registries (range 1.14–1.62 per 100 patient-years). Higher and more consistent rates across registries and with the trial programme overall were seen when adding standardisation for HAQ score (registry range 1.86–2.18, trials rate 2.92) or restricting to a treatment initiation subcohort followed for 18 months (registry range 0.99–2.84, trials rate 2.74). Conclusion This prospective, coordinated analysis of RA registries provided incidence rate estimates for infection events to contextualise infection rates from an RA clinical trial programme and demonstrated relative comparability of hospitalised infection rates across registries.
Short sleep duration in infancy and risk of childhood overweight.

OBJECTIVE To examine the extent to which infant sleep duration is associated with overweight at age 3 years. DESIGN Longitudinal survey. SETTING Multisite group practice in Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS Nine hundred fifteen children in Project Viva, a prospective cohort. Main Exposure At children's ages 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years, mothers reported the number of hours their children slept in a 24-hour period, from which we calculated a weighted average of daily sleep. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We used multivariate regression analyses to predict the independent effects of sleep duration (< 12 h/d vs > or = 12 h/d) on body mass index (BMI) (calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared) z score, the sum of subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses, and overweight (BMI for age and sex > or = 95th percentile) at age 3 years. RESULTS The children's mean (SD) duration of daily sleep was 12.3 (1.1) hours. At age 3 years, 83 children (9%) were overweight; the mean (SD) BMI z score and sum of subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses were 0.44 (1.03) and 16.66 (4.06) mm, respectively. After adjusting for maternal education, income, prepregnancy BMI, marital status, smoking history, and breastfeeding duration and child's race/ethnicity, birth weight, 6-month weight-for-length z score, daily television viewing, and daily participation in active play, we found that infant sleep of less than 12 h/d was associated with a higher BMI z score (beta, 0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.29), higher sum of subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses (beta, 0.79 mm; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-1.40), and increased odds of overweight (odds ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-3.91). CONCLUSION Daily sleep duration of less than 12 hours during infancy appears to be a risk factor for overweight and adiposity in preschool-aged children.
Energy-dissipative supercomplex of photosystem II associated with LHCSR3 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Plants and green algae have a low pH-inducible mechanism in photosystem II (PSII) that dissipates excess light energy, measured as the nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (qE). Recently, nonphotochemical quenching 4 (npq4), a mutant strain of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that is qE-deficient and lacks the light-harvesting complex stress-related protein 3 (LHCSR3), was reported [Peers G, et al. (2009) Nature 462(7272):518–521]. Here, applying a newly established procedure, we isolated the PSII supercomplex and its associated light-harvesting proteins from both WT C. reinhardtii and the npq4 mutant grown in either low light (LL) or high light (HL). LHCSR3 was present in the PSII supercomplex from the HL-grown WT, but not in the supercomplex from the LL-grown WT or mutant. The purified PSII supercomplex containing LHCSR3 exhibited a normal fluorescence lifetime at a neutral pH (7.5) by single-photon counting analysis, but a significantly shorter lifetime at pH 5.5, which mimics the acidified lumen of the thylakoid membranes in HL-exposed chloroplasts. The switch from light-harvesting mode to energy-dissipating mode observed in the LHCSR3-containing PSII supercomplex was sensitive to dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, a protein-modifying agent specific to protonatable amino acid residues. We conclude that the PSII-LHCII-LHCSR3 supercomplex formed in the HL-grown C. reinhardtii cells is capable of energy dissipation on protonation of LHCSR3.
DESMOPRESSIN AND ANTIFIBRINOLYTICS

Desmopressin appears to be a safe and effective hemostatic agent for use during surgery in patients with mild to moderate hemophilia or von Willebrand disease. Uremic patients also benefit from substitution of desmopressin for cryoprecipitate to control bleeding. The highly variable response to desmopressin by individual patients with hemophilia or von Willebrand disease dictates that each patient receive a trial administration prior to surgery; surgery should proceed only following verification of a therapeutically effective increase in Factor VIII and vWF after desmopressin. Use of desmopressin in patients with normal baseline hemostatic function is not clearly advantageous, although certain patient subgroups might benefit, and prospective studies have documented the drug's safety in these cases. Data are lacking to clarify a role for desmopressin during surgery in patients taking aspirin. Antifibrinolytic therapy appears to decrease bleeding without increased risk after cardiac surgery. In addition, specific use after urological surgery may be beneficial in the absence of upper urinary tract bleeding. In the last ten years, other applications for antifibrinolytic therapy have been found--both surgical (intracranial aneurysms, oral and lacrimal surgery) and nonsurgical (in cancer patients and for gastrointestinal bleeding). Although anecdotal reports have fueled fears of increased thrombosis with antifibrinolytics, controlled studies indicate no increased risk.
Value of Financial Flexibility and Firm¡¯s Financial Policies: Empirical Evidence from the Firms Listed in Tehran Stock Exchange

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between financial flexibility and financial policies of the firms listed on Tehran stock exchange. The population of this descriptive-correlational study is comprised of all firms listed on Tehran stock exchange during the years 2010 to 2014. From this population, a sample of 155 firms is created through systematic elimination. The research hypotheses are investigated via multivariate regression, integrated data model and estimated generalized least squares (EGLS) methods. This research uses panel data technique as its statistical method, and utilizes Eviews9 and Excel softwares for data analysis. Results of investigations show that value of financial flexibility has significant inverse relationship with firmi¯s dividend payouts, its financial leverage, and the change in its cash balance. The results also suggest that firms putting more value to their financial flexibility have lower dividend payouts, prefer stock redemption to paying dividends, have lower leverage ratios, and tend to accumulate more cash.
Effects of feeding or abomasal infusion of canola oil in Holstein cows 1. Nutrient digestion and milk composition

We determined the effects of feeding canola oil or infusing it into the abomasum on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, duodenal flows of fatty acids, and milk composition in Holstein cows. Five ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein cows in late lactation were used in a 3×5 incomplete Latin square design. Treatments were 1) Control: basal diet (CON), 2) Control+supplementation of canola oil at 1 kg/d in the feed (FED), and 3) Control+abomasal infusion of canola oil at 1 kg/d (INF). Compared with CON, feed intake, ruminal fermentation characteristics, ruminal and total tract digestibilities of nutrients were not significantly affected by FED treatment but duodenal flows and milk concentrations of fatty acids (FA) such as trans-11 18[ratio ]1 and cis-9 trans-11 18[ratio ]2 (conjugated linoleic acid, CLA) were increased. In contrast to the effects of FED, INF reduced feed intake, total VFA production, intestinal flows of nutrients, FA digestibility and yields of milk and milk fat. Both FED and INF significantly reduced the proportions of saturated and medium-chain FA, and increased cis 18[ratio ]1 in milk. Concentrations of 18[ratio ]2n-6 and 18[ratio ]3n-3 in milk were increased nearly 2-fold with INF relative to CON. Dietary or postruminal supplementation of canola oil to late-lactation cows reduced saturated FA and increased unsaturated C18 in milk but nutrient digestion was adversely affected with abomasal infusion of canola oil.
Differential Pressure Sensor Speedometer for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Velocity Estimation

Velocity estimation is central for the reliable navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Doppler velocity logs (DVLs), currently the leading technology for underwater velocity estimation, can be too big, expensive, and energy consuming to be used on low-cost and small AUVs or for long missions. In our previous work, a system based on differential pressure sensors was developed for estimating surge velocity. In this paper, we combine this system with an inertial measurement unit to compensate for orientation errors and create a differential pressure sensor speedometer (DPSS). We propose and demonstrate the DPSS prototype as an important step toward a small, inexpensive, and energy-efficient alternative or complement to a DVL in certain applications. This paper presents the first underwater field tests of a sensor using differential pressure for velocity estimation. Tests were conducted with a SPARUS II AUV (IQUA Robotics, Girona, Spain). To demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed solution, we compare the surge velocity estimation of the DPSS and the vehicle's DVL in bottom and water locks. Trials were conducted by varying the trajectory and velocity of the vehicle in three different environments. We show that the DPSS displayed a superior performance with respect to the DVL water lock for velocities above 0.6 m/s. The differences in the velocity estimations of the DVL in bottom lock for high velocities were as small as 0.013 m/s. These results encourage further development of the presented technology.
End-to-end arguments in the internet: principles, practices, and theory

The end-to-end arguments — a founding principle of the Internet — have inspired a world of opinionated interpretations, re-articulations, and comments about their lower-level technical and higher-level normative merit. However, their precise meaning and scope of applicability have remained diffuse — arguably as diffuse as the constituency of stakeholders in the very Internet itself. Our thesis elaborates the end-to-end arguments by putting them into a meaningful context of other principles as well as the current realities of the Internet. Also, it elaborates their normative content in view of a defendable set of purposes. To these ends we have conducted a most thorough study of primary literature going back to the intellectual predecessors of the Internet in the early 1960s, and developed the several notions of this thesis in a largely desk-based research effort. Following a comprehensive discussion of the various different versions of the end-to-end arguments both prior to and subsequent to the seminal Saltzer et al. (1981a) formulation we trace the actual manifestations of the end-to-end arguments walking from the Arpanet as developed in the late 1960s to the eventual Internet architecture emerging from the mid-1970s. We find that the descriptive content of the end-to-end arguments is, in fact, broader than their self-contained formulation as a logical argument about application completeness implies. Second, we find that they are best conceived as one principle within a framework of other, no less relevant principles. And, third, we argue for a revised normative take on the endto-end arguments that emphasizes the importance of edge redundancy as a crucial means of extending their scope beyond the classic considerations of data integrity alone. In all, we add much needed focus and clarity to a notion that has been carried so far away from its original content as to cloud its true relevance in both today’s Internet and tomorrow’s.
Receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin by developing erythroid cells from the fetal rat liver.

Fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy were used to study the binding and uptake of transferrin by developing erythroid cells from the fetal rat liver. Following incubation of the cells with fluorescently conjugated transferrin for 20 mm at 37#{176}C, transferrin was visualized by fluorescence microscopy to be concentrated in discrete patches. In addition, early normoblasts showed a large amount of labeling in a single area of the cell in a manner resembling cap formation. During enucleation most of the bound transferrin was distributed in the cytoplasm immediately surrounding the extruding nucleus. Differenees in the amount of transferrin binding to erythroid cells at various stages of development were measured by quantitative fluorescence microscopy. Maximal labeling was found at the basophilic normoblast stage, and the capacity to bind transferrin decreased 10-fold during maturation to the reticulocyte. The relative changes in transferrin binding during development were almost identical to those measured for concanavalin A binding employing the same technique. The results obtained by fluorescence micros-
Actions to verify compliance of a public company with IT Governance

Governance of Information Technology (IT) aims to direct and control the current and future use of IT for the benefit of an organization, in order to guide the management of IT organizational resources globally through means and resources such as: access policy, risk management, human resource management, information access, transfer, storage and processing technologies and processes. This article examines guiding elements of the actions that allow the verification of the conformity of the organization, regarding its IT Governance. The importance of these elements lies in allowing organizational management to seek a competitive advantage, adding value to the business, by monitoring and evaluating the technologies and processes performance. Specifically, the guiding elements of the regulatory compliance verification actions (EVCRs) identified in this work were applied and validated in a Brazilian federal public company, allowing to improve its IT governance.