Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Untargeted Metabolomics Approach in Halophiles: Understanding the Biodeterioration Process of Building Materials

The aim of the study was to explore the halophile metabolome in building materials using untargeted metabolomics which allows for broad metabolome coverage. For this reason, we used high-performance liquid chromatography interfaced to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC/HRMS). As an alternative to standard microscopy techniques, we introduced pioneering Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Scattering Microscopy (CARS) to non-invasively visualize microbial cells. Brick samples saturated with salt solution (KCl, NaCl (two salinity levels), MgSO4, Mg(NO3)2), were inoculated with the mixture of preselected halophilic microorganisms, i.e., bacteria: Halobacillus styriensis, Halobacillus naozhouensis, Halobacillus hunanensis, Staphylococcus succinus, Marinococcus halophilus, Virgibacillus halodenitryficans, and yeast: Sterigmatomyces halophilus and stored at 28°C and 80% relative humidity for a year. Metabolites were extracted directly from the brick samples and measured via HPLC/HRMS in both positive and negative ion modes. Overall, untargeted metabolomics allowed for discovering the interactions of halophilic microorganisms with buildings materials which together with CARS microscopy enabled us to elucidate the biodeterioration process caused by halophiles. We observed that halophile metabolome was differently affected by different salt solutions. Furthermore, we found indications for haloadaptive strategies and degradation of brick samples due to microbial pigment production as a salt stress response. Finally, we detected changes in lipid content related to changes in the structure of phospholipid bilayers and membrane fluidity.
A polycrystalline-silicon dual-gate MOSFET-based 1T-DRAM using grain boundary-induced variable resistance

A polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) dual-gate MOSFET-based one-transistor dynamic random-access memory (1T-DRAM) cell was developed using grain boundary (GB)-induced barrier effects. The program/erase operation of the 1T-DRAM is performed by trapping/detrapping charges in GB traps. The trapped charges cause variations in the grain energy barrier of the storage region, which forms the sensing margin of the 1T-DRAM. The proposed cell achieved a high sensing margin of 4.45 μA/μm and a long retention time (>100 ms) at a high temperature of 373 K (100 °C).
Room‐Temperature NO2 Gas Sensing with Ultra‐Sensitivity Activated by Ultraviolet Light Based on SnO2 Monolayer Array Film

Chemiresistive‐type gas sensors, which are driven by the thermal activation, have exhibited extraordinary promise for the detection of air pollutions, such as highly toxic gas of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), but are often limited to its high operating temperature, because of the raising explosive risk in inflammable gases. This study reports the construction of a close‐packed SnO2 monolayer film, and uses it as the NO2 room‐temperature sensing layer induced by ultraviolet (UV)‐light irradiation. Such SnO2 monolayer array film shows excellent sensing performances toward NO2 gas with a striking selectivity under the UV‐light irradiation even in high humidity. Additionally, by precisely controlling the sensing film thickness, it is observed that the NO2 sensing characteristics can be optimized to provide ultra‐selectivity and high gas response. Through the systematic analysis, it reveals that the “clean effect” of UV‐light for surface‐adsorbed O2b− ions and the competitive adsorption between NO2 and O2 gas during sensing process are responsible for the possible sensing mechanism. More importantly, this work exhibits the intrinsic relation between sensing performances and the film thickness under the UV‐light illumination, which is of vital importance to actual sensing requirements.
Denominator fallacy revisited

We have previously written about ‘denominator fallacy’ and its importance in the way that we report and interpret results, especially for endovascular treatment of acute stroke.1 In most studies, the number of patients going for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is taken as the denominator and the number of these patients achieving a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0–2 as the numerator. The number of patients taken for EVT is dependent on the overall set-up, the view of the interventionalists, economic considerations (in some jurisdictions), imaging criteria, and clinical criteria. Of these, imaging criteria probably play a key role: the more stringent the imaging criteria (taking only patients with a very small core, etc), the smaller the number of patients who will go for EVT and the higher the likelihood of good clinical outcome (as a percentage of patients undergoing EVT). However, the more stringent the criteria, the smaller the overall impact of the treatment on the population as a whole. I used examples to illustrate this concept in a previous editorial. However, let us take this line of reasoning a step further. We know that time is brain and that infarcts grow during the hyperacute phase. At time zero after onset of symptoms, the size of the infarct core is zero. At 24 hours after onset, most infarcts are fully grown. …
Fluconazole release from hydrogels including acrylamide-acrylic acid-itaconic acid, and their microbiological interactions

Polyacrylamide (PAAm), polyacrylic acid (PAA), poly(acrylamide-co-itaconic acid) (PAAmIA) and poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) (PAAIA) hydrogels were prepared via free-radical polymerization using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker. The variations of swelling percentages with time and pH were determined for these hydrogels at 37°C. PAAmIA was found as the most swollen hydrogel at pH 4.0. SEM micrographs were taken to observe the morphology of the hydrogels. The less swollen hydrogel, PAAIA, displays less porosity relative to PAAmIA hydrogel. Fluconazole was entrapped into PAAmIA and PAAIA hydrogels and the release was investigated in Britton–Robinson buffer solution (BR) at pH 4.0 and 37°C. The kinetic release parameters of the hydrogels, n and k, were calculated and Fickian-type diffusion was established for PAAmIA, which releases Fluconazole faster than PAAIA hydrogel. Therapeutic range was reached in the first hour for both hydrogels. Microbiological interactions of hydrogels were also studied in vitro in vaginal medium. It is found that Fluconazole entrapped in hydrogels inhibited the growth of Candida albicans.
Characterization of the adrenergic receptors mediating a rise in cyclic 3'-5'-adenosine monophosphate in rat cerebral cortex.

Norepinephrine (NE) causes a 4- to 6-fold rise in the cyclic 39, 59-adenosine monophosphate content of chopped rat cerebral cortex. The effect is half-maximal at 6 µM and essentially maximal at 30 µM. The effect of 30 µM NE is only partially blocked by maximally effective concentrations (30 µM) of either propranolol or phentolamine. However, the effect is completely blocked when these inhibitors are added together even at lower concentrations (10 µM each). Isoproterenol (ISO) causes only a 2- to 4-fold rise in cyclic 39, 59-adenosine monophosphate in the same preparation. The effect is half-maximal at 0.4 µM and essentially maximal at 3 µM. The effect of 30 µM ISO is completely blocked by 30 µM propranolol, but phentolamine is without effect. Maximally effective concentrations of NE and ISO together produce an effect similar to that of NE added alone. The results suggest that NE interacts with at least two types of receptors (analogous to alpha and beta ) whereas ISO appears to react with a single type (analagous to beta ). Analysis of the difference in the time courses of the effects of NE and ISO suggests that a slow component of the NE effect may be indirect.
Maximum power point tracking control of a high power dc-dc converter for PV integration in MVDC distribution grids

This paper discusses the design of a control strategy for a three-phase dual-active bridge (DAB3) dc-dc converter, which is employed as the central converter to track the maximum power point (MPP) of a large-scale photovoltaic (PV) farm, and to deliver the generated energy into dc distribution grids. Considering the soft-switching characteristics of the DAB3 converter, two different maximum output power point tracking strategies are proposed to maximize PV power generation. To achieve a fast transient performance of the maximum-power-point-tracking (MPPT) based voltage control especially considering the non-linear characteristic of the PV panels, the PV current is compensated with a feedforward function in the cascaded control loop. A down-scaled laboratory prototype of the DAB3 converter is designed and tested with PV panels to validate the performance of the proposed control method.
Genetické markery pro kvalitu hovězího masa

Bakalařska prace se zaměřuje na geny asociovane se znaky ovlivňujici kvalitu hověziho masa. V prvni casti teto prace jsou popsany intravitalni faktory ovlivňujici kvalitu masa u skotu. Druha cast prace pojednava o kandidatnich genech s vlivem na kvalitu hověziho masa. Pro křehkost masa to byly geny CAPN1 a CAST, pro složeni mastných kyselin gen SCD a FASN a pro mramorovani geny TG a LEP. V posledni casti teto prace jsou shrnuty poznatky o genu LEP a jeho asociace s marbling hověziho masa a obsahem intramuskularniho tuku.
Gravity signal transduction in primary roots.

AIMS The molecular mechanisms that correlate with gravity perception and signal transduction in the tip of angiosperm primary roots are discussed. SCOPE Gravity provides a cue for downward orientation of plant roots, allowing anchorage of the plant and uptake of the water and nutrients needed for growth and development. Root gravitropism involves a succession of physiological steps: gravity perception and signal transduction (mainly mediated by the columella cells of the root cap); signal transmission to the elongation zone; and curvature response. Interesting new insights into gravity perception and signal transduction within the root tip have accumulated recently by use of a wide range of experimental approaches in physiology, biochemistry, genetics, genomics, proteomics and cell biology. The data suggest a network of signal transduction pathways leading to a lateral redistribution of auxin across the root cap and a possible involvement of cytokinin in initial phases of gravicurvature. CONCLUSION These new discoveries illustrate the complexity of a highly redundant gravity-signalling process in roots, and help to elucidate the global mechanisms that govern auxin transport and morphogenetic regulation in roots.
Multiple-access capacity gains using multiuser detection under uniform linear power spacing

This paper reviews the driving factors that affect performance gains in wireless networks when receivers are enabled by multiuser detection (MUD). Assuming the many-to-one, Gaussian multiple-access channel, we compare the capacity of a jointly optimal MUD receiver with the single user match filter using TDMA, FDMA and orthogonal CDMA access schemes. Comparisons are made under both equal power and unequal power conditions. Unequal power cases are constrained to uniform linear power spacing where the received powers are equally spaced over a given power spread. Motivation for this analysis is to better understand what multiple-access schemes will realize the highest potential improvements by incorporating MUD technology and under what system constraints those gains are maximized.
Dynamics of the extended subthalamic-pallidal complex in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease

We extend the simple firing-rate model of the complex, composed of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe), by introducing the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) to investigate the dynamics of the basal ganglia system (BGS). Through numerical simulation we show that, the system can reproduce both the physiological and pathological state of the subthalamo-pallidal complex. Furthermore, the dynamics of the extended complex in deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) is also studied. It is shown that high frequency stimulation of STN can regularize the GPi firing, and functionally restore TC responsiveness. We also find that low frequency DBS can also alleviate the motor symptoms caused by a weakening of intra-GPe connections. The presented results could have important implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms of DBS.
FINANCIAMENTO DAS EBTs: UM ESTUDO EM EMPRESAS DE NANOTECNOLOGIA

A obtencao de recursos financeiros, pelos empreendedores, para financiar suas ideias, e uma das principais dificuldades enfrentadas por estes agentes. Diante desta dificuldade, este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma analise referente a forma de financiamento das empresas de base tecnologicas – EBTs que desenvolvem nanotecnologia. Isto por se tratar de empresas que necessitam de alto volume de recurso financeiro e possuem um elevado nivel de incertezas em relacao a sua imagem e credibilidade junto as fontes tradicionais de financiamento. Assim, surgem questionamentos em relacao a forma como tais empresas se financiam, como se da a escolha destas fontes de financiamento e a relevância de algumas delas. Para tal, foi realizada pesquisa descritiva, de natureza qualitativa, utilizando o metodo de casos multiplos, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com gestores responsaveis pelo tema. Dentre os resultados, constatou-se que as empresas analisadas financiam suas atividades, majoritariamente, por capital proprio e fazem uso, quando possivel, de recursos de fundo nao reembolsavel, concedido pelo governo. E importante destacar que a escolha da nao utilizacao de recursos de bancos e fundos, por parte da organizacao, se da por questoes estrategicas.
Determination of optimum process parameters for peroxidase‐catalysed treatment of bisphenol A and application to the removal of bisphenol derivatives

Systematic investigations were carried out to determine the optimum process parameters such as the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration, concentration and molar mass of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as an additive, pH value, temperature and enzyme dose for treatment of bisphenol A (BPA) with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The HRP‐catalysed treatment of BPA was effectively enhanced by adding PEG, and BPA was completely converted into phenoxy radicals by HRP dose of 0.10 U/cm3. The optimum conditions for HRP‐catalysed treatment of BPA at 0.3 mM was determined to be 0.3 mM for H2O2 and 0.10 mg/cm3 for PEG with a molar mass of 1.0 × 104 in a pH 6.0 buffer at 30 °C. Different kinds of bisphenol derivatives were completely or effectively treated by HRP under the optimum conditions determined for treatment of BPA, although the HRP dose was further increased as necessary for some of them. The aggregation of water‐insoluble oligomers generated by the enzymatic radicalization and radical coupling reaction was enhanced by decreasing the pH values to 4.0 with HCl after the enzymatic treatment, and BPA and bisphenol derivatives were removed from aqueous solutions by filtering out the oligomer precipitates.
Generalized Spectroface For Face Recognition

Spectroface is a face representation method using wavelet transform and Fourier transform and has been proved to be invariant to translation, on-the-plane rotation and scale. Two types of spectrofaces, namely first order and second order spectrofaces, have been proposed and successfully applied for face recognition. This paper reports a generalized spectroface, in which, we prove that any continuous and compact supported low-pass filters can be used to replace the wavelet transform. This feature provides a high flexibility of the spectroface representation. It is also proved that the generalized spectroface is translation invariant. A simple but effective feature selection algorithm is also proposed for the generalized spectroface in which the recognition is further increased. Three standard databases from Yale University, Olivette Research Laboratory and MIT, are used to evaluate the proposed method. The recognition accuracy is as high as 99.29%. If we consider the top three matches, the accuracy increases to 99.64%.
evaluate the microbial biomass and its activity in soil under long-term crop rotations and tillage systems in the subtropical soil of Brazil . Material and methods

A long-term study on the effect of different crop rotations [soybean/wheat, S/W; maize/wheat, M/W or cotton/wheat, C/W] and tillage regimes [no-tillage (NT) or conventional tillage (CT)] on microbial biomass and other soil properties is reported. The experiment was established in 1976 in southern Brazil as a split-plot experimental design in three replications. Soil samples were taken in 1997 and 1998 at 0to 5-, 5to 10and 10to 20-cm depths and evaluated for microbial biomass C, N, P and S by direct extraction methods. The NT system showed increases of 103%, 54%, 36%, and 44% for microbial biomass C, N, P, and Cmic:Corg percentage, respectively at the 0to 5-cm depth. NT systems also increased the C to N:S:P ratios. These results provide evidence that tillage or crop rotation affect microbial immobilization of soil nutrients. The larger amount of C immobilized in microbial biomass suggests that soil organic matter under NT systems provides higher levels of more labile C than CT systems.
Hypothetical Protein Cpn0308 Is Localized in the Chlamydia pneumoniae Inclusion Membrane

ABSTRACT The hypothetical protein encoded by Chlamydia pneumoniae open reading frame cpn0308 was detected in inclusion membranes of C. pneumoniae-infected cells using antibodies raised with Cpn0308 fusion proteins. The anti-Cpn0308 antibodies did not cross-react with IncA, a known C. pneumoniae inclusion membrane protein, although the anti-Cpn0308 antibody staining overlapped with the anti-IncA antibody labeling. The labeling of the inclusion membrane by the anti-Cpn0308 antibody was specifically blocked by the Cpn0308 but not IncA fusion proteins. The Cpn0308 antigen was detectable 24 h after infection and remained in the inclusion membrane throughout the infection course.
The pathway of cross‐presentation is influenced by the particle size of phagocytosed antigen

Cross‐presentation is the presentation by MHC class I of antigenic peptides from exogenous proteins that have been internalized and processed by professional antigen‐presenting cells, e.g. dendritic cells. We have investigated the influence of particle size and antigen load on cross‐presentation following antigen delivery on microspheres (MS). Cross‐presentation from small particles (0·8‐μm) is sensitive to proteasome inhibition and the blockade of endoplasmic reticulum‐resident MHC class I complex export, whereas cross‐presentation from larger particles (aggregated clumps of 0·8‐μm MS) is resistant to these antagonists. This observation may have been overlooked previously, because of the heterogeneity of particle size and MS uptake in unsorted dendritic cell populations. Larger particles carry more antigen, but we show that antigen load does not influence the cross‐presentation pathway used. Whereas early endosome autoantigen 1 (EEA1) could be observed in all phagosomes, we observed endoplasmic reticulum SNARE of molecular weight 24 000 (ERS24) and cathepsin S in association with 3·0‐μm and aggregated 0·8‐μm MS, but not individual 0·8‐μm MS. A potential mechanism underlying our observations may be the activation of β‐catenin by disruption of E‐cadherin‐mediated adhesion. Activated β‐catenin was detected in the cytoplasm of cells after phagocytosis of MS (highest levels for the largest particles). We propose that particle size can direct the use of different pathways for the cross‐presentation of an identical antigen. Furthermore, these pathways have differing yields of MHC class I–peptide complexes, which is an important variable in designing vaccination strategies for maximal antigen expression and CD8+ T‐cell priming.
Fuzzy-Membership Based Writer Identification from Handwritten Devnagari Script

The handwriting based person identification systems use their designer`s perceived structural properties of handwriting as features. In this paper, we present a system that uses those structural properties as features that graphologists and expert handwriting analyzers use for determining the writer`s personality traits and for making other assessments. The advantage of these features is that their definition is based on sound historical knowledge (i.e., the knowledge discovered by graphologists, psychiatrists, forensic experts, and experts of other domains in analyzing the relationships between handwritten stroke characteristics and the phenomena that imbeds individuality in stroke). Hence, each stroke characteristic reflects a personality trait. We have measured the effectiveness of these features on a subset of handwritten Devnagari and Latin script datasets from the Center for Pattern Analysis and Recognition (CPAR-2012), which were written by 100 people where each person wrote three samples of the Devnagari and Latin text that we have designed for our experiments. The experiment yielded 100% correct identification on the training set. However, we observed an 88% and 89% correct identification rate when we experimented with 200 training samples and 100 test samples on handwritten Devnagari and Latin text. By introducing the majority voting based rejection criteria, the identification accuracy increased to 97% on both script sets.
Sex differences in the decoding of pain‐related body postures

Pain can be detected through nonverbal cues, including facial expressions, vocalisations, and body posture. While there are sex differences in how emotional expressions are recognized, these differences have not always been found for pain. One reason for this inconsistency may be methodological, as pain studies tend not to be designed to investigate individual differences in expression recognition. Also, few studies consider sex differences outside facial expression.
Device closure of secundum atrial septal defects: To balloon size or not to balloon size

Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: Zhijazi@rush.edu Secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) constitutes about 10% of all forms of congenital heart disease. From our experience, over 90% of secundum ASDs should be amenable to device closure. The technique of closure has been fairly standard and has not changed much over the last 30 some years. Typically, the procedure is done under general endotracheal anesthesia with transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) guidance. In the last 10 years, we have been doing the procedure under conscious sedation using intracardiac echocardiographic (ICE) guidance. After hemodynamic assessment and echocardiographic evaluation (TEE/ICE), many operators perform balloon sizing. The old technique of balloon sizing was using the circular balloon, from Meditech, Boston scientific where the operator inflates the balloon in the left atrium and under both echocardiographic and fluoroscopic monitoring, the balloon is withdrawn toward the atrial septum with constant gentle traction while deflating the balloon slowly. Once the balloon pops from left to right atrium, the operator determines the amount of fluid inside the balloon at the time of its passage through the defect and uses this volume to measure the balloon diameter outside the body, or frame freeze the fluoroscopy image or echo image and measure the size of the balloon when it traversed the defect. More recently and over the last 10 years, investigators have been using the stationary balloon technique. The balloon is inflated across the defect until “waisting” appears in the balloon. A cine fluoroscopy image is taken or the echo image is frozen and the waist is measured. This technique, we believe has over estimated the size of defect significantly and may have resulted in erosions in some of the cases. Therefore, since 2004, we have been using the “stop-flow” technique, which relies on color Doppler echocardiography rather than waisting in the balloon. [1]