Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of novel benzimidazole derivatives

Abstract In search of achieving less toxic and more potent chemotherapeutics, three novel heterocyclic benzimidazole derivatives: 2-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-4-chlorophenol (BM1), 4-chloro-2-(6-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)phenol (BM2) and 4-chloro-2-(6-nitro-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)phenol (BM3) with DNA-targeting properties, were synthesized and fully characterized by important physicochemical techniques. The DNA binding properties of the compounds were investigated by UV–Visible absorption titrations and thermal denaturation experiments. These molecules exhibited a good binding propensity to fish sperm DNA (FS-DNA), as evident from the high binding constants (Kb) values: 1.9 × 105, 1.39 × 105 and 1.8 × 104 M‒1 for BM1, BM2 and BM3, respectively. Thermal melting studies of DNA further validated the absorption titration results and best interaction was manifested by BM1 with ΔTm = 4.96 °C. The experimental DNA binding results were further validated theoretically by molecular docking study. It was confirmed that the molecules (BM1–BM3) bind to DNA via an intercalative and groove binding mode. The investigations showed a correlation between binding constants and energies obtained experimentally and through molecular docking, indicating a binding preference of benzimidazole derivatives with the minor groove of DNA. BM1 was the preferential candidate for DNA binding because of its flat structure, π–π interactions and less steric hindrance. To complement the DNA interaction, antimicrobial assays (antibacterial & antifungal) were performed. It was observed that compound BM2 showed promising activity against all bacterial strains (Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes and Escherichia coli) and fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium solani), while rest of the compounds were active against selective strains. The MIC values of BM2 were found to be in the range of 12.5 ± 2.2–25 ± 1.5 µg/mL. Thus, the compound BM2 was found to be the effective DNA binding antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, the preliminary cytotoxic properties of synthesized compounds were evaluated by brine shrimps lethality assay to check their nontoxic nature towards healthy normal cells. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma Highlights New heterocyclic benzimidazole molecules were synthesized and characterized. FT–IR, 1H and 13C NMR, GC–MS, TOF–MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction and elemental analysis were used for structure elucidation. DNA binding propensity was assessed by spectroscopic and computational methods. Antibacterial and cytotoxic activities were also investigated.
The Limits of Guanxi Capitalism: Transnational Collaboration between Taiwan and the USA

In this research we explore the relationship between high-technology regional development and ethnic networks in the connection between Silicon Valley, California and Hsinchu, Taiwan. We elaborate the argument that regional industrial structure and embedded social networks, rather than the multinational firm, should be the focus in the study of transnational business. The complementary regional industrial structures allow economic and technological collaboration between these two regions while the social networks help coordinate these transnational (cross-regional) collaborations. However, we seek to distinguish this account from the dominant perceptions of the role of guanxi (interpersonal relationships) in overseas Chinese business networks (OCBN). In contrast with the arguments for OCBN, that guanxi provides resources for Chinese firms to coordinate and control transnational business, we argue that the skill and competence required for technological upgrading are not necessarily guaranteed within the ethnic network. Although ethnic networks facilitate transnational business and technology cross-fertilization, it seems go too far to argue the Silicon Valley–Hsinchu connection is another version of Chinese guanxi capitalism.
BIST based Pattern Generation for Low Power VLSI Architecture

— In the semiconductor manufacturing industry recently remarkable technological developments like, feasibility of millions of transistors and various other components to be integrated on a Chip with enormous packaging options, several designing procedures and proficient test methods have contributed massively in the integration of the entire system on a chip. A revolution in the approach to designing and testing an IC is in trend However, the testing industry has a higher-end of challenges [2]. The introduction of the Built-In Self-Test architecture has been a giant leap in the testing industry. The role of the BIST circuit is to reduce the cost by reducing the testing interval and the complexity of testing. The power dissipated in a circuit during testing mode is considerably larger than that dissipated in the operational mode. This increase in power dissipated can be ascribed to the decreased correlation between the random patterns generated in the test mode [1]. Hence, the idea behind this thesis is to design a DFT circuit that will help in decreasing the switching activities in the test mode in order to limit the power dissipation and at the same time obtain the mandated fault coverage ratio. This directly relates to the decrease in the cost of the circuitry.
Exogenous RNAs for Gene Regulation and Plant Resistance

Recent investigations documented that plants can uptake and process externally applied double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs), hairpin RNAs (hpRNAs), and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) designed to silence important genes of plant pathogenic viruses, fungi, or insects. The exogenously applied RNAs spread locally and systemically, move into the pathogens, and induce RNA interference-mediated plant pathogen resistance. Recent findings also provided examples of plant transgene and endogene post-transcriptional down-regulation by complementary dsRNAs or siRNAs applied onto the plant surfaces. Understanding the plant perception and processing of exogenous RNAs could result in the development of novel biotechnological approaches for crop protection. This review summarizes and discusses the emerging studies reporting on exogenous RNA applications for down-regulation of essential fungal and insect genes, targeting of plant viruses, or suppression of plant transgenes and endogenes for increased resistance and changed phenotypes. We also analyze the current understanding of dsRNA uptake mechanisms and dsRNA stability in plant environments.
Enhancement of mouse diaphragm contractility in the presence of antagonists of GABAA and GABAB receptors

What is the central question of this study? Do GABA receptors play any role at the neuromuscular junction? What is the main finding and its importance? In the presence of either ionotropic or metabotropic GABA receptor antagonists, diaphragm muscle force production elicited by stimulating the motor nerve at ≥50 Hz was increased. Our data indicate the presence of GABAergic signalling at the neuromuscular junction.
A PLC broadband channel simulator for indoor communications

In this paper we propose a frequency-domain broadband channel simulator for indoor power line communications (PLC). We follow a bottom-up approach by defining the topology in a fixed mode or in a random mode. The channel matrix coefficients are derived by using the well-known two-port ABCD line modeling. The channel simulator takes into account cable characteristics, effective lengths of branches, and also loads by selecting the load impedances from a predefined set. We will show how to use our bottom-up channel simulator to generate random PLC channels and to match measurement results with a predefined approximation.
Improvement in resource reservations management within tunnels over all-IP mobile networks using IntServ6

Next generation mobile networks (NGN) will be based on IPv6. Then, NGNs will require mobility protocols such as MIPv6 and HMIPv6. Also, they should support quality of service by means of technologies such as the integrated services architecture. In this context, a problem to distinguish reservations arises when resource reservations within tunnels are required. The current solution to this problem in the standard IntServ has some disadvantages such as reservations differentiation at the transport layer level. However, a new approach to support QoS over integrated services mobile networks has appeared. It is named IntServ6. This approach resolves the Reservations within Tunnels problem in a natural and simple way by means of the Flow Label field of the IPv6 packet header. Subsequently, it resolves this problem at the network layer level. This paper describes and evaluates such approach to support Reservations within Tunnels. Both QoS technologies, IntServ and IntServ6 are compared. Results show that IntServ6 serves more traffic than IntServ over Simple reservations and reservations within tunnels.
Shape from distortion: 3D range scanning of mirroring objects

Objects with mirroring surfaces are left out of the scope of most recent 3D scanning methods. We developed a new acquisition approach, shape-from-distortion, that focuses on that category of objects, requires only a still camera and a monitor, and generates high quality range scans (plus a normal field). Our contributions are a novel acquisition technique based on environment matting [Chuang et al. 2000] and corresponding geometry reconstruction method that recovers a very precise geometry model for mirroring objects.
Interleukin‐10 gene polymorphism rs1800896 is associated with post‐bronchiolitis asthma at 11–13 years of age

Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) is an anti‐inflammatory cytokine that is involved with bronchiolitis and asthma. We evaluated associations between four IL‐10 polymorphisms, namely rs1800871, rs1800872, rs1800890 and rs1800896, and post‐bronchiolitis asthma in young adolescents.
Trehalose is a potent PCR enhancer: lowering of DNA melting temperature and thermal stabilization of taq polymerase by the disaccharide trehalose.

Compatible solutes are a class of compounds that stabilize cells and cellular components exposed to extreme conditions. In bacterial systems, the uptake or synthesis of compatible solutes renders the cells and their enzymatic machinery more resistant to stress-inducing environmental conditions such as high osmolarity or high temperatures (1)(2). Compatible solutes comprise a heterogeneous group of compounds, covering amino acids and their derivatives (3), sugars (4), and more obscure compounds such as the pyrimidine derivative ectoine (5). The compatible solute trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide in which two d-glucose units are linked by an α,α-1,1-glycosidic bond. It is synthesized by a variety of eukaryotic organisms, conferring tolerance against desiccation, dehydration, heat, cold, and oxidation (6). The addition of trehalose increases the enzymatic activity of several euthermal enzymes used for cDNA synthesis or restriction digestion of DNA (7)(8). Trehalose also enhances the priming specificity in differential-display reverse transcription-PCR (9) through high-temperature priming and a thermoactivated reverse transcriptase. PCR amplifications are frequently impaired by high GC content of the target sequence, leading to low yield and specificity of products, with no product at all in the worst cases. Locally high-temperature melting regions within the template can act as permanent termination sites (10). Several low-molecular-weight products have been identified that enhance the PCR of difficult templates, e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide (11) and other sulfoxides (12), formamide (13), nonionic detergents (14), and compounds belonging to the family of compatible solutes, such as betaine (15)(16)(17). The latter is present in most of the commercially available PCR-enhancing solutions (18). Here we report the application of trehalose as a potent PCR enhancer for GC-rich templates. This compound avoids false negatives in PCR typing (16). In this study, we used trehalose in real-time, reverse transcription-PCR amplification of the mouse …
Complete Genome Sequences of Four Serotypes of Dengue Virus Prototype Continuously Maintained in the Laboratory

Dengue prototype strains are widely used for virological study. The strains presented here have been cultured under different laboratory environments, resulting in accumulating genetic variations. ABSTRACT Dengue prototype strains are widely used for virological study. The strains presented here have been cultured under different laboratory environments, resulting in accumulating genetic variations. We present the genomes of four serotypes of the dengue prototype strain that were continuously maintained in the laboratory. These genomes contain bases different from those of the original prototype strains in GenBank.
Neural network compensation of gear backlash hysteresis in position-controlled mechanisms

It is demonstrated that artificial neural networks can be used to identify and compensate for hysteresis caused by gear backlash in precision position-controlled mechanisms. Physical analysis of the system nonlinearities and optimal control are used to design the neural network structure. Network sizing and initializing problems are thus eliminated. This physically meaningful, modular approach facilitates the integration of this neural network with existing controllers; thus, initial performance matches that of existing control approaches and then is improved by refining the parameter estimates via further learning. The neural network operates by recognizing backlash and switching to a control which moves smoothly through the backlash when a torque transmitted to the output shaft must be reversed. <<ETX>>
Image contextual representation and matching through hierarchies and higher order graphs

We present a region matching algorithm which establishes correspondences between regions from two segmented images. An abstract graph-based representation conceals the image in a hierarchical graph, exploiting the scene properties at two levels. First, the similarity and spatial consistency of the image semantic objects is encoded in a graph of commute times. Second, the cluttered regions of the semantic objects are represented with a shape descriptor. Many-to-many matching of regions is specially challenging due to the instability of the segmentation under slight image changes, and we explicitly handle it through high order potentials. We demonstrate the matching approach applied to images of world famous buildings, captured under different conditions, showing the robustness of our method to large variations in illumination and viewpoint.
DISENTANGLING THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION AND INDIGENOUS HUNTING ON WILDLIFE IN THE AMAZON By

3 To my father 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My family gave me the support needed to start working with indigenous people, even not understanding what I was doing " no meio do mato ". The support continued during my graduate education. Ana, thanks for courageously accepting the challenge of spending two years in Florida, despite all the fears and difficulties we knew we would face, and still keep staying by my side, my " companheira ". Ana, my sister, you was especially important to me, challenging me to look into myself. Mãe, I admire you. Pai, thanks for your courage and perseverance. The influence you have in my life and decisions are impressive, stronger than I even realize. Dulce, thanks for all the love you have to my father. Vô, vó, you are the persistence and kindness. Thanks Livia and Hector for helping us whenever we needed! Thanks to our family of friends we discovered in Gainesville. All the Kaxinawá and Katukina people involved in the monitoring program are co-authors of this research since they are collecting and analyzing hunting data in their own village. However, a large scale analysis made it impossible to include all participants as authors. I would like to give thanks for the support provided by Brian (CPI-AC) and Associação do Movimento dos Agentes Agroflorestais Indígenas do Acre (AMAAI-AC) provided part of the data and logistic support for field work.
The Personalization of a Cloud Ecosystem : Adding Dimensions to Situational Awareness Invited Paper

The lack of easy to use environment to connect and manage the things is one of the obstacles that hold back multimodal personalized use of Internet of Things. We present a novel idea and a cloud framework with original elements that enable development of ecosystem for the user tailored deployment of things in the context of a personalized situational awareness. The benefits of the infrastructure are fortified with several use case scenarios that provide an insight to the platform’s innovative possibilities. Keywords-Cloud, Internet of Things, Situational Awareness
For Personal Use. Only Reproduce with Permission from the Lancet Publishing Group. Computer-assisted Imaging to Assess Brain Structure in Healthy and Diseased Brains

Neuroanatomical structures may be profoundly or subtly affected by the interplay of genetic and environmental factors, age, and disease. Such effects are particularly true in healthy ageing individuals and in those who have neurodegenerative diseases. The ability to use imaging to identify structural brain changes associated with different neurodegenerative disease states would be useful for diagnosis and treatment. However, early in the progression of such diseases, neuroanatomical changes may be too mild, diffuse, or topologically complex to be detected by simple visual inspection or manually traced measurements of regions of interest. Computerised methods are being developed that can capture the extraordinary morphological variability of the human brain. These methods use mathematical models sensitive to subtle changes in the size, position, shape, and tissue characteristics of brain structures affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroanatomical features can be compared within and between groups of individuals, taking into account age, sex, genetic background, and disease state, to assess the structural basis of normality and disease. In this review, we describe the strengths and limitations of algorithms of existing computer-assisted tools at the most advanced stage of development, together with available and foreseeable evidence of their usefulness at the clinical and research level. The link between brain structure and function has been of interest since the golden age of phrenology in the early 1800s. Advances in neuroscience and neuroimaging have led to an increasing recognition that certain neuroanatomical structures may be affected preferentially by particular diseases. The distribution of structural changes reflects the underlying pathology and may determine the clinical phenomenology. These associations are well exemplified by the differential patterns of atrophy seen in the neurodegenerative disorders. Neurodegenerative brain diseases mark the brain with morphological signatures; detection of these signs may be useful to improve diagnosis, particularly in diseases for which there are few other diagnostic tools. For example, early and disproportionate hippocampal atrophy in people who have memory complaints points to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. By contrast, focal atrophy of the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, or both, makes Alzheimer's disease less likely and a tauopathy such as Pick's disease more likely. 1 Such preset regional patterns of abnormalities extend to the parkinsonian disorders, in which midbrain atrophy is useful in differentiating progressive supranuclear palsy from idiopathic Parkinson's disease, 2 whereas striatal abnormalities and cerebellar atrophy are more common in multiple-system atrophy. 3 Structural changes provide markers by which to track the biological progression …
Opposite Effects of Garcinol on Tumor Energy Metabolism in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Abstract Garcinol is a natural polyisoprenylated benzophenone extracted from the dried fruit rind of Garcinia indica. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of garcinol in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells and its action on cancer cell energy metabolisms. Cell cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasion assays were detected, and oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates were also measured with Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Our studies showed that garcinol represses OSCC cells proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion, and colony formation. Of note, garcinol directly targeted cancer cell energy producing pathway mitochondrial respiration by significantly inhibiting ATP production, maximal respiration, spare respiration capacity and basal respiration in a dose-dependent manner. But garcinol treatment reflexively boosted glycolysis presented by increased glycolysis and glycolytic capacity. The promotion of garcinol on glycolytic pathway is also confirmed presented by elevated lactic acid content and the activity of pyruvate kinase. Furthermore, the expression of glucose transporter1 and 4, and several important genes related to the glycolysis pathway, including HIF-1α, AKT, and PTEN, was also upregulated after garcinol treatment. Taken together, our results revealed that garcinol has opposite effects on tumor energy metabolism through inhibiting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation significantly, and reflexively enhancing glycolysis in OSCC cells. AbbreviationsOSCC oral squamous cell carcinomaDMBA dimethylbenzanthraceneOCR oxygen consumption rateOXPHOS oxidative phosphorylationECAR extracellular acidification rate
Gold nano particles synthesized from Strychni semen and its anticancer activity in cholangiocarcinoma cell (KMCH-1)

Abstract Nanotechnology has been materialized as a proficient technology for the development of anticancer nanoparticles all the way through an environment-friendly approach. Conventionally, nanoparticles have been assembled by dissimilar methods, but regrettably rely on the negative impact on the natural environment. Amalgamation of nanoparticles by means of plant extract is alternate conservative methods. In the present study, we equipped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from Strychni semen; displayed as a less toxic and environment-friendly. Integration of AuNPs was famed by UV-absorbance which displays peak values. Moreover, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) substantiate the shape of the AuNPs in the combined materials. FTIR results exhibit the active molecules positioned in the flat surface of the AuNPs. Similarly, the anticancer effectiveness of AuNPs is considered in KMCH-1 cells. Also, AuNPs successfully aggravate cytotoxicity and apoptosis by conjugating apoptotic gene expressions in KMCH-1 cells. Eventually, our results confirm the synthesis of AuNPs from Strychni Semen shows anticancer effects with environment-friendly manner.
Abnormal Data Region Discrimination and Cross-Monitoring Points Historical Correlation Repair of Water Intake Data

For the problems of abnormal values existing in the water intake monitoring data and centralized uploaded report, the abnormal data region discrimination (ADRD) algorithm and the cross-monitoring points historical correlation repair (CMHCR) method are proposed to discriminate and repair the abnormal data. The characteristics of abnormal data distribution are analyzed, and the ADRD algorithm is proposed. ADRD uses the relationship between 0 values and the abnormal large value, and the ratio of the abnormal large value to the expectation to distinguish the abnormal data region. The correlation between the monitoring data of current detection points and the historical data of different detection points is analyzed. The results show that the data of current monitoring point and the historical data of corresponding point do not fully conform to the maximum correlation. Therefore, the CMHCR method is proposed to repair abnormal data. Experiments based on actual half year water intake data of 2016 and 2017 are performed by using ADRD. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm and method can correctly distinguish the abnormal data region and repair the abnormal data properly.