Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensing the Stress: A Role for the UPRmt and UPRam in the Quality Control of Mitochondria

Mitochondria exist as compartmentalized units, surrounded by a selectively permeable double membrane. Within is contained the mitochondrial genome and protein synthesis machinery, required for the synthesis of OXPHOS components and ultimately, ATP production. Despite their physical barrier, mitochondria are tightly integrated into the cellular environment. A constant flow of information must be maintained to and from the mitochondria and the nucleus, to ensure mitochondria are amenable to cell metabolic requirements and also to feedback on their functional state. This review highlights the pathways by which mitochondrial stress is signaled to the nucleus, with a particular focus on the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) and the unfolded protein response activated by the mistargeting of proteins (UPRam). Although these pathways were originally discovered to alleviate proteotoxic stress from the accumulation of mitochondrial-targeted proteins that are misfolded or unimported, we review recent findings indicating that the UPRmt can also sense defects in mitochondrial translation. We further discuss the regulation of OXPHOS assembly and speculate on a possible role for mitochondrial stress pathways in sensing OXPHOS biogenesis.
Open Clinical Study of Eye Drops Containing the Fibronectin-Derived Peptide PHSRN for Treatment of Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects

Purpose: We have previously shown that the fibronectin-derived peptide PHSRN (Pro-His-Ser-Arg-Asn) promotes corneal epithelial wound healing in vivo. We have now examined the clinical efficacy of eye drops containing the PHSRN peptide for treatment of persistent epithelial defects (PEDs) of the cornea. Methods: Seven patients (5 men and 2 women; mean age ± SD, 78.3 ± 9.4 years) with PEDs were treated by administration of eye drops containing PHSRN. The duration of the PEDs before treatment was 7.4 ± 5.5 weeks. The eye drops were administered as 1 drop per eye 4 times a day. Epithelial defects were observed with a slit-lamp microscope and photographed during the treatment course. Results: Epithelial defects in 5 of the 7 affected eyes (71%) responded to PHSRN treatment as manifested by complete epithelial resurfacing within the 4-week period after treatment initiation. The mean ± SD time required for complete epithelial resurfacing in the 5 responding subjects was 15.8 ± 3.4 days. No adverse effects of treatment were observed in any of the subjects. Conclusions: Eye drops containing the fibronectin-derived PHSRN peptide are clinically efficacious for the treatment of PEDs.
Rehydration before wet fixation in conventional body fluid cytology – An 18‐year experience

In conventional cytology, preparation of a specimen by wet fixation for Papanicolaou stain is potentially subject to dry effect or cell loss which may make cytologic interpretation difficult or even impossible. We have been routinely making an additional smear for rehydration with normal saline (rehydration method) before wet fixation to overcome the above shortcomings.
In situ engineering of urchin-like reduced graphene oxide–Mn2O3–Mn3O4 nanostructures for supercapacitors

We report the use of a spray pyrolysis method to synthesize high surface area (BET surface area of 139 m2 g−1) self-organized, micron sized urchin-like composites made up of reduced graphene oxide and needle-shaped manganese oxide (rGO–Mn2O3–Mn3O4). Maximum capacitances of 425 Fg−1 at 5 mV s−1 from a three electrode set up and 133 Fg−1 at a current density of 0.2 Ag−1 were recorded using an asymmetric two electrode set up with graphene as the anode. The composite material also showed a capacitance retention of 83% over 1000 cycles. We attribute this remarkable performance to the high specific surface area due to the urchin-like hollow structures and synergy between the manganese oxide and reduced graphene oxide materials within the composite. Furthermore, this synthesis technique can be exploited further in the bulk synthesis of cost effective graphene–metal oxide hybrid materials for energy storage applications.
Six Sigma methodology: an effective tool for quality management

The quality standards of the output, the features of delivery and the introduction of new services are becoming the most important factors to success in business performance. In this context, the application of new methodologies is essential to increase the business performance. Six Sigma can give an important solution for those companies that intend to highlight the customer satisfaction focusing on the continuous improvement of the processes. The purpose of this paper is to show the power of the Six Sigma methodology in increasing the performance level of industrial processes and systems. The paper shows a Six Sigma case study applied to the automotive market.
Improved potassium nutrition retrieves phosphorus-induced decrease in zinc uptake and grain zinc concentration of wheat.

BACKGROUND The negative effect of soil-applied phosphorus (P) on zinc (Zn) uptake by plants and its concentration in food grains could be a possible reason for low dietary intake of Zn. Likewise, owing to its critical role in plant tolerance to other abiotic stresses, potassium (K) was thought to retrieve P-induced decrease in grain Zn concentration of wheat. To test the above hypothesis, the effect of K application (50 mg kg-1 soil) on Zn concentration in shoot/grains and its shoot-to-grain translocation was studied in wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Galaxy-2013) under low and optimal supply of both P (10 and 50 mg kg-1 ) and Zn (0 and 5 mg kg-1 ). RESULTS The response of growth parameters and grain yield to optimal Zn, P and K applications indicated that all nutrients were limiting plant growth at low levels. Irrespective of P level, Zn application at optimal rate increased Zn concentration and uptake by straw and grains of wheat. Contrarily, optimal P application decreased Zn concentration but increased Zn uptake by wheat straw. More specifically, combined application of Zn and P at optimal levels decreased Zn concentration in grains from 43 to 32 mg kg-1 compared with optimal Zn application alone. Potassium application to optimal P- and Zn-supplied plants increased remobilization of pre-anthesis straw Zn store to grains by 50% and decreased Zn concentration in straw. Consequently, K application along with optimal Zn and P supply to plants completely retrieved P-induced loss in grain Zn concentration and also increased grain Zn uptake from 891 to 1249 µg per pot without significantly affecting grain yield. CONCLUSION The K-induced increase in grain Zn concentration is attributed to K-driven higher post-anthesis Zn uptake and remobilization of pre-anthesis straw Zn store to grains. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
MALAT1 modulates the autophagy of retinoblastoma cell through miR‐124‐mediated stx17 regulation

The retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignant tumor in infants and children; it is one of the deadliest forms of cancer due to its limited sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In several cancers, chemoresistance is associated with autophagy induction. Non‐coding RNAs, including long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNA) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to regulate physiological activities of the cells, including proliferation, apoptosis, migration, as well as autophagy. MALAT1, a well‐established lncRNA acts as an oncogene, promotes cancer proliferation, and metastasis via the stimulation of autophagy. In addition to MALAT1, miR‐124, a known tumor suppressor, has also been reported to regulate cell apoptosis and autophagy in dopaminergic neurons. In the present study, we investigated the roles of MALAT1 and miR‐124 in the regulation of retinoblastoma cell autophagy through evaluating the changes of autophagy‐related proteins. Through direct targeting miR‐124, MALAT1 promotes retinoblastoma cell autophagy. Further, we investigated whether Syntaxin 17 (STX17), a Soluble NSF Attachment Protein receptor (SNARE) of the autophagosome, is involved in MALAT1/miR‐124 regulation of retinoblastoma cell autophagy, and the underlying mechanism. Taken together, we provided novel experimental and theoretical basis for regulation of retinoblastoma cell autophagy, and potential direction of dealing with autophagy‐induced chemoresistance of retinoblastoma, which need further in‐depth study.
Jumping to conclusions in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder associated with a variety of symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal, and cognitive dysfunction. Impairments on decision-making tasks are routinely reported: evidence points to a particular deficit in learning from and revising behavior following feedback. In addition, patients tend to make hasty decisions when probabilistic judgments are required. This is known as “jumping to conclusions” (JTC) and has typically been demonstrated by presenting participants with colored beads drawn from one of two “urns” until they claim to be sure which urn the beads are being drawn from (the proportions of colors vary in each urn). Patients tend to make early decisions on this task, and there is evidence to suggest that a hasty decision-making style might be linked to delusion formation and thus be of clinical relevance. Various accounts have been proposed regarding what underlies this behavior. In this review, we briefly introduce the disorder and the decision-making deficits associated with it. We then explore the evidence for each account of JTC in the context of a wider decision-making deficit and then go on to summarize work exploring JTC in healthy controls using pharmacological manipulations and functional imaging. Finally, we assess whether JTC might have a role in therapy.
MicroRNA expression profiles of neural stem cells following valproate inducement

Neural stem cells (NSCs) possess self‐renewal and multilineage differentiation ability, thus are considered to be a potential source for cell replacement therapy of many nervous system diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases. Valproate (VPA), a member of histone deacetylase inhibitor family, is an epigenetic regulator and can promote NSCs to differentiate into neurons, nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms of the process remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exert a crucial part in the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. Epigenetic mechanisms involve in the regulation of miRNAs expression. Therefore we speculated that miRNAs may be important factors during the promotion of neuronal differentiation by VPA. Here, after selecting appropriate concentration and treatment time of VPA, we conducted microRNA arrays at 24 h on the treatment of 1 mM VPA or vehicle. After validation, we obtained 5 significantly upregulated miRNAs (miR‐29a‐5p, miR‐674‐5p, miR‐155‐5p, miR‐652‐3p, and miR‐210‐3p) in VPA group compared with control. We predicted the target genes of these miRNAs on the website. Through gene ontology (GO) and pathway analyses, we obtained preliminary comprehension of the function of these genes. The bioinformatics analyses indicated the involvement of them during neurogenesis. In addition, we observed high expression of miR‐210‐3p, miR‐29a‐5p, and miR‐674‐5p in central nervous system, which suggested that they were likely to play crucial roles in neuronal differentiation. We then defined the upregulation of Map2 by transfecting mimic of miR‐674‐5p, which indicated the promotion of miR‐674‐5p on NSCs differentiation. The present study explored the miRNAs potentially mediated the function of VPA on promoting NSCs to differentiate into neurons.
Fabrication of large-area Graphene-based electronic Devices

Since the discovery of graphene in 2004 [1], there has been a tremendous amount of interest in this material for its unique electronic properties. Graphene is a stable two-dimensional material composed of a monolayer of carbon atoms with extremely high electron mobility up to 200,000 cm2/Vs [2]. Therefore, in nanostructured devices, electrons may undergo ballistic rather than ohmic transport. Additionally, graphene is a zero-band-gap semiconductor with the conduction and valence bands meeting at the Dirac point. However, there has been much interest in using 1-D graphene nanoribbons (GNR) as a method for inducing a band gap at the Dirac point [3]. These exciting properties coupled with the benefits of already mature planar processing technology have fueled the excitement about graphene-based electronics.
Parallel similarity search based on the dimensions value cardinalities of image descriptor vectors

In this paper, we propose a parallel similarity search strategy based on the dimensions value cardinalities, an inherit characteristic of image descriptor vectors. Our strategy has low preprocessing requirements by dividing the computational cost of the preprocessing steps into several machines and locating the descriptors with similar dimensions value cardinalities logically close. Additionally, an efficient parallel query processing algorithm is proposed, where the dimensions of image descriptors are prioritized in the searching strategy, assuming that dimensions of high value cardinalities have more discriminative power than the dimensions of low ones. In our experiments with publicly available datasets of 80 million and 1 billion images, we show that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art parallel similarity search strategies, in terms of preprocessing cost, search time and accuracy. Finally, we made our source code publicly available.
Looking at Rubber Adhesion

Abstract Rubber has been employed in contact with a variety of surfaces for decades, yet the adhesional mechanisms involved are not fully understood. This article describes fundamental investigations carried out over the last decade. Emphasis is placed upon the use of optical techniques for looking directly at the contact area rubber makes with another surface. The interpretation is based upon a rate-dependent surface energy approach. In this way it is possible to predict the level of peel adhesion between surfaces, for example, when a ball rolls on smooth rubber. Other examples treated in the same way are the time for detachment of a ball from a smooth rubber track under gravity, its resilience when bounced on the track, and its friction when slid over the track. The influence of surface roughness, electrostatic forces, surface bloom, and humidity are considered, together with rubber compound variables such as glass transition temperature, crosslink density, and fillers. The central theme is that the adh.
Design of a 2.4 GHz high-performance mixer with current bleeding topology

The important characteristics of a mixer including high conversion gain, low noise, high dynamic range, low third-order intermodulation distortion and low unwanted leakage signals between ports have reconsidered. A double balanced Gilbert-cell with a class-A amplifier bleeding mixer (DBGC CAAB mixer) is designed and implemented. The voltage gain of 14 dB at class-A amplifier is used to magnifier the local oscillator (LO) signal. Current of class-A amplifier is injected into the Gibert mixer as a bleeding current to improve the performance of the trans-conductor stage. The DBGC CAAB mixer achieves a conversion gain of 17.5 dB at −14 dBm LO power, and the noise figure is suppressed from 45 dB to 10.7 dB. It is important to stress that the new configuration has a third-order intermodulation (HP3) at −9 dBm which is considered to be insignificant. The DBGC CAAB mixer is implemented by using 0.18-μm RFCMOS technology and operates at the 2.4 GHz ISM application with 10 MHz intermediate frequency. The power consumption is 12 mA at 1.5 V supply voltage.
Long‐term exposure to gold nanoparticles accelerates larval metamorphosis without affecting mass in wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) at environmentally relevant concentrations

Nanoparticles are environmental contaminants of emerging concern. Exposure to engineered nanoparticles has been shown to have detrimental effects on aquatic organisms. The authors synthesized gold nanoparticles (18.1 ± 3.5 nm) and tested their effects on time to and weight at metamorphosis in wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles, a species known to be sensitive to environmental stressors. Continuous exposure to all concentrations of gold nanoparticles (0.05 pM, 0.5 pM, and 5 pM in particles) for up to 55 d significantly reduced time to metamorphosis by as much as an average of 3 d (p < 0.05). However, exposure to gold nanoparticles had no effect on tadpole mass at metamorphosis. The approximately 18‐nm gold nanoparticles used were metastable in dechlorinated tap water, resulting in a change in surface charge and aggregation over time, leading to negatively charged aggregates that were on the order of 60 nm to 110 nm. Nanoparticle aggregation could exacerbate the effect on time to metamorphosis. To the authors' knowledge, the present study is the first report on the effect of engineered nanoparticles of any kind on life‐history variables in an amphibian, a taxonomic group that has been declining globally for at least 25 yr. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2304–2310. © 2016 SETAC
Robust coding of flow-field parameters by axo-axonal gap junctions between fly visual interneurons

Complex flight maneuvers require a sophisticated system to exploit the optic flow resulting from moving images of the environment projected onto the retina. In the fly's visual course control center, the lobula plate, 10 so-called vertical system (VS) cells are thought to match, with their complex receptive fields, the optic flow resulting from rotation around different body axes. However, signals of single VS cells are unreliable indicators of such optic flow parameters in the context of their noisy, texture-dependent input from local motion measurements. Here we propose an alternative encoding scheme based on network simulations of biophysically realistic compartmental models of VS cells. The simulations incorporate recent data about the highly selective connectivity between VS cells consisting of an electrical axo-axonal coupling between adjacent cells and a reciprocal inhibition between the most distant cells. We find that this particular wiring performs a linear interpolation between the output signals of VS cells, leading to a robust representation of the axis of rotation even in the presence of textureless patches of the visual surround.
A framework analysis of personalized recommendation system with media tags

On the basis of the research on the recommendation of media information resources based on tags, this paper uses the theories of system dynamics and data mining, to study the formation mechanism and influencing factors of recommendation system of media information resources, and to construct the system dynamics model of dynamic media recommendation system based on tags. Moreover, Vensim PLE software is used to simulate and test the model, which further gives insights about how user's adoption situation, density and centrality affect the media recommendation system.
A data reduction method based on indiscernibility and rough entropy for uncertain systems

Rough set theory is composed with a number of properties which makes it suitable for manipulating the uncertain systems. This uncertainty is handled in terms of lower and upper approximations which computes indiscernibility and rough entropy. In this paper a data reduction method based on indiscernibility and rough entropy is used. Firstly, the instance is compared to extract distinct instances on the basis of decision attribute. Secondly, on the basis of indiscernibility, the irrelevant attributes are removed. Thirdly, rough entropy is used to select the attributes based on their minimum entropy value. Finally, a significant amount of data is reduced using the proposed method. The effectiveness of the method is verified on eight standard medical data sets using classification accuracy. Experimental work demonstrates that with the reduced data SVM achieves a high classification accuracy.
Total Artificial Heart Imaging and Complications: a Pictorial Review

Heart failure is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality with many patients ultimately requiring heart transplantation. As the rate of heart failure continues to increase and surpass the number of available donor hearts, the need for cardiac assist devices is rapidly rising. The total artificial heart has emerged as an effective therapeutic option in patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure who are awaiting orthotopic heart transplantation. The TAH replaces the patient’s native ventricle and valves and has one of the highest bridge to transplant rates. Many complications have been associated with the TAH including infections, bleeding, thrombosis, device malfunction, neurological complications among others. CT is the imaging modality of choice that aids in early recognition of TAH complications.
Factors Affecting Long-term Lithium Compliance in Bipolar Patients

Background: Mood stabilizers such as lithium are effective agents to treat bipolar disorder and are known to decrease suicide rates. This paper looks to explore the variables associated with compliance and specifically compare and contrast compliant and non-compliant patient groups. Original Research Article Peselow et al.; INDJ, 7(4): 1-8, 2016; Article no.INDJ. 26987 2 Methods: 111 euthymic bipolar patients aged 18-75 that had not been compliant with their lithium therapy completed a phone or paper questionnaire to assess reasons of non-adherence after obtaining informed written consent for this IRB-approved study. Symptoms were also assessed by nurses using the Columbia-Milhauser Mood scale, modified from the Hamilton Depression Inventory and the Biegel Mania Scale. These results were compared to those of 133 euthymic participants that were compliant with their lithium regimen. Results: Chi-square tests revealed significant differences between the two patient groups regarding factors affecting compliance (P values range: 0.009 <0.001). T-tests showed patients who discontinued lithium therapy not only had more depressive symptoms when compared with the compliant group, but also the depressive symptoms were more severe (P =0.02). Conclusions: Indefinite length of medication treatment, stigma associated with mental illness, and having one’s mood controlled by medication seemed to be associated with patient lack of compliance with lithium. Further research needs to address how to overcome these challenges and improve compliance. The results should be interpreted with caution as naturalistic data and the above results may only apply to the assessed sample.
Information compression, multiple alignment, and intelligence

This paper provides an overview of the SP theory of intelligence and its realisation in the SP computer model. The central aim in developing the SP system has been to simplify and integrate observations and concepts across artificial intelligence, mainstream computing, mathematics, and human learning, perception and cognition. Key ideas in the theory are information compression via the matching and unification of patterns (ICMUP) and, more specifically, information compression via a concept of multiple alignment adapted from that concept in bioinformatics. Multiple alignment has the potential to be the “double helix” of intelligence — as significant for the understanding of intelligence as is DNA in biological sciences. The background and origins of the SP theory, and the structure and workings of the system are described in outline. The SP theory has strengths and potential in modelling several different aspects of human intelligence, as outlined in the paper. There are many potential applications of the SP system that are summarised with references to relevant papers.