Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Triarylboron-Linked Conjugated Microporous Polymers: Sensing and Removal of Fluoride Ions.

A luminescent conjugated microporous polymer (BCMP-3) has been synthesized in high yield by a carbon-carbon coupling reaction using triarylboron as a building unit. BCMP-3 was fully characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, (13) C solid-state NMR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen and carbon dioxide adsorption. The new three-dimensional conjugated framework possess a high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area up to 950 m(2) g(-1) with a pore volume of 0.768 cm(3) g(-1) , good stability, and abundant boron sites in the skeleton. Under excited-light irradiation, BCMP-3 exhibits strong fluorescent emission at 488 nm with a high absolute quantum yield of 18 % in the solid state. Polymer BCMP-3 acts as a colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor with high sensitivity and selectivity for F(-) over other common anions. In addition, the polymer also works as an adsorbent for F(-) removal and shows good adsorption capacities of up to 24 mg g(-1) at equilibrium F(-) concentrations of 16 mg L(-1) and a temperature of 298 K. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm were analyzed by fitting experimental data with pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir equations. Furthermore, we highlight that BCMP-3 is an adsorbent for fluoride removal that can be efficiently reused many times without loss of adsorption efficiency.
HCV Ab ELISA Kit

INTRODUCTION Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which was formerly described as the parenterally transmitted form of non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH), becomes a chronic disease in 50% of the cases. HCV can also be transmitted through intravenous drug abuse, sexual , and household contact. Hepatitis C virus is a single stranded RNA virus with some structural relations to the flavivirus family. Nucleic acid sequences of HCV cDNA clones provided the basis for the construction of recombinant peptides representing putative hepatitis C virus proteins. Antihepatitis C virus antibody screening of blood using synthetic or recombinant proteins, helped to identify apparently healthy blood donors with anti-HCV antibodies who otherwise might have transmitted the virus. This is an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant proteins derived from core regions of HCV virus to detect the presence of HCV antibodies in human sera.
An Energy Efficient Anchor-Free Localization Algorithm for No-Identity Wireless Sensor Networks

A wireless sensor network (WSN) model by analyzing the limitations of existing localization algorithm is proposed in this paper. Specifically, neither the anchor nor the ID is required in the proposed model, and the node function is limited. The hardware function of the node in our model is independent of the MAC protocol. Moreover, based on the proposed WSN model, we design an energy efficient anchor-free localization algorithm for no-identity WSN. Instead of multiple measurements, mathematical calculation is adopted to acquire the position information. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the algorithm is confirmed by rigid theory. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the performance of localization and energy efficiency in WSN significantly.
Optimal Distributed Generation Parameters for Reducing Losses with Economic Consideration

Distributed generation (DG) represents a reliable option for solving current major problems of distribution companies, such as load growth, overloaded lines, quality of supply and reliability. Moreover, it has been proven that the additional benefits brought by DG could be substantial if properly used. This paper addresses the issue of optimizing DG planning in term of DG size and location to reduce the amount of line losses in the distribution networks. The optimization methodology, which is based on the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm, firstly assesses the compatibility of different generation schemes upon the level of power loss reduction and DG cost. The solutions obtained are finally validated with the constraints of maximum number and size of DG, as well as voltage violation and DG penetration. The proposed method is tested on IEEE 33 bus system, proving that the technique is effective and applicable.
Genetic analysis of the nsP3 region of Sindbis virus: evidence for roles in minus-strand and subgenomic RNA synthesis

Sindbis virus nonstructural polyproteins and their cleavage products are believed to be essential components of viral RNA replication and transcription complexes. Although numerous studies have investigated the effect of mutations in nsP1-, nsP2-, and nsP4-coding regions on Sindbis virus-specific RNA synthesis, relatively little is known about the function of the region encoding nsP3. nsP3 is a phosphoprotein comprising two regions: an N-terminal portion which is highly conserved among alphaviruses and a C-terminal portion which is not conserved, varying both in sequence and in length. We have constructed a library of random linker insertion mutations in the nsP3-coding region and characterized selected viable mutants. Initially, 126 mutants containing insertions in the conserved region and 23 with insertions in the nonconserved region were screened for temperature-sensitive (ts) plaque formation or for significant differences in plaque morphology. All nonconserved-region mutants were similar to the parental virus, whereas 13 of those in the conserved region were either ts or exhibited altered plaque phenotypes. Ten of these 13 mutants were ts for plaque formation as well as RNA accumulation at 40 degrees C. Highly ts mutants CR3.36 and CR3.39 were defective in their ability to synthesize minus-strand RNAs at the nonpermissive temperature. The CR3.36 and CR3.39 insertion mutations localized to different regions near nsP3 residues 58 and 226, respectively. CR3.39 was able to complement ts mutants from Sindbis virus complementation groups A, B, F, and G. Another mutant isolated from the library, CR3.34, while not ts for plaque formation or RNA synthesis, formed smaller plaques and was defective in subgenomic RNA synthesis at all temperatures examined. These results suggest a role for nsP3 or nsP3-containing polyproteins in the synthesis of viral minus-strand and subgenomic RNAs.
Health impacts of anthropogenic biomass burning in the developed world

Climate change policies have stimulated a shift towards renewable energy sources such as biomass. The economic crisis of 2008 has also increased the practice of household biomass burning as it is often cheaper than using oil, gas or electricity for heating. As a result, household biomass combustion is becoming an important source of air pollutants in the European Union. This position paper discusses the contribution of biomass combustion to pollution levels in Europe, and the emerging evidence on the adverse health effects of biomass combustion products. Epidemiological studies in the developed world have documented associations between indoor and outdoor exposure to biomass combustion products and a range of adverse health effects. A conservative estimate of the current contribution of biomass smoke to premature mortality in Europe amounts to at least 40 000 deaths per year. We conclude that emissions from current biomass combustion products negatively affect respiratory and, possibly, cardiovascular health in Europe. Biomass combustion emissions, in contrast to emissions from most other sources of air pollution, are increasing. More needs to be done to further document the health effects of biomass combustion in Europe, and to reduce emissions of harmful biomass combustion products to protect public health. Biomass combustion is an important source of air pollution and ill health in the EU: emissions need to reduce http://ow.ly/RYkPk
In vitro antioxidant and radical-scavenging capacities of Citrullus colocynthes (L) and Artemisia absinthium extracts using promethazine hydrochloride radical cation and contemporary assays

A new, quick and economical decolorization assay based upon the generation of a radical cation made from promethazine hydrochloride (PMZH) is described for screening of antioxidant activity of plants/herbal extracts. PMZH radical cations, produced through a reaction between PMZH and potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) in phosphoric acid medium, have maximum absorption at 515 nm in their first-order derivative spectrum. Theconcentrations of chromagen and K2S2O8 were optimized (final concentration of PMZH and K2S2O8 were 0.166 mM and 0.11 mM, respectively) for better stability and sensitivity of the radical cation produced. Agood linear correlation was found between the percentage inhibition and the increasing amounts of standard antioxidants, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.989 to 0.999. The newly developed assay was employed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of Citrullus colocynthes L. and Artemisia absinthium extracts. The proposed assay involved a more stable radical cation and required only 1 h for preparation of a working solution in comparison to the 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation decolorizaion assay, which was reported to be less sensitive at low pH and almost 12–16 h were required for preparation of a working ABTS solution. Other assays employed to evaluate the antioxidant potential andradical-scavenging capacities of the extracts were the ferric-reducing antioxidant power, 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, total phenolic contents assay, total flavonoid contents and metal-chelating activity assays, and the lipid peroxidation value in linoleic acid emulsion systems. The results indicate that boththe plants have potent free radical-scavenging activity and the ability to prevent lipid peroxidation and radical chain reactions.
Brief-tone audiometry with normal, cochlear, and eighth nerve tumor patients.

Thresholds for 1,000- and 4,000-Hz tones ranging in duration from 10 to 200 msec were obtained from 33 persons with normal hearing, 40 with acoustic trauma, 42 persons with Meniere disease, and 32 subjects with confirmed eighth nerve tumor. Although median data suggested different threshold integration slopes across groups, consideration of individual data revealed overlap among groups. This overlap was sufficiently great so that no characteristic pattern of behavior defined any group.
SIMD parallel calculation of distance transformations

A novel SIMD parallel algorithm for the calculation of distance transformations is presented, suitable for massively parallel image processors or long wordlength conventional serial processors. Comparisons are provided, showing results of an implementation on a real SIMD processor, and the speedup achieved over the sequential local algorithm on a signal processor. <<ETX>>
Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) G516T influences nevirapine plasma concentrations in HIV‐infected patients in Uganda

Polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B6 gene have been shown to influence nevirapine plasma concentrations in HIV‐infected European Caucasians. Although nevirapine is used extensively in Africa, the influence of CYP2B6 genotype on nevirapine exposure has not been assessed in this population. We aimed to determine the influence of CYP2B6 genotype at position 516 on nevirapine trough concentrations in HIV‐infected patients in Kampala, Uganda. Additional polymorphisms in the CYP and multidrug resistance protein‐1 (MDR‐1) genes were also assessed for their impact on nevirapine concentrations.
Experimental models for Barrett ’ s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma

Katherine S. Garman, Roy C. Orlando, and Xiaoxin Chen Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University and Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill; and Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina
Purification and characterization of a XIP-type endoxylanase inhibitor from Rice (Oryza sativa)

A rice XIP-type inhibitor was purified by affinity chromatography with an immobilized Aspergillus aculeatus family 10 endoxylanase. Rice XIP is a monomeric protein, with a molecular mass of ca. 32 kDa and a pI of ca. 5.6. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence was identical to that of a rice chitinase homologue, demonstrating the difficulty when using sequence information to differentiate between endoxylanase inhibitors and (putative) chitinases in rice. Rice XIP inhibited different endoxylanases to a varying degree. In particular, it most strongly inhibited family 10 endoxylanases from A. niger and A. oryzae, while several family 11 enzymes from Bacillus subtilis, A. niger and Trichoderma sp. were not sensitive to inhibition. The above mentioned A. aculeatus endoxylanase was not inhibited either, although gel permeation chromatography revealed that it complexed rice XIP in a 1:1 molar stoichiometric ratio.
A Study on the Assessment of Prosthetic Infection after Total Knee Replacement Surgery

This study, for its research subjects, uses patients who had undergone total knee replacement surgery from the database of the National Health Insurance Administration. Through the review of literatures and the interviews with physicians, important factors are selected after careful screening. Then using Cross Entropy Method, Genetic Algorithm Logistic Regression, and Particle Swarm Optimization, the weight of each factor is calculated and obtained. In the meantime, Excel VBA and Case Based Reasoning are combined and adopted to evaluate the system. Results show no significant difference found through Genetic Algorithm Logistic Regression and Particle Swarm Optimization with over 97% accuracy in both methods. Both ROC areas are above 0.87. This study can provide critical reference to medical personnel as clinical assessment to effectively enhance medical care quality and efficiency, prevent unnecessary waste, and provide practical advantages to resource allocation to medical institutes. Keywords—Total knee replacement, Case Based Reasoning, Cross Entropy Method, Genetic Algorithm Logistic Regression, Particle Swarm Optimization.
Lactic dehydrogenase levels in patients with duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, gastric polys and gastric carcinoma.

LDH is found in many body fluids and tissues. Its level is elevated in many diseases. Thus the levels of LDH in serum and gastric juice were determined in both benign and malignant disease of the upper gastro-intestinal tract using the spectrophotometric techniques. 45 patients were included in the study (duodenal ulcer 19; gastric ulcer 6; gastric polyps 5; and gastric carcinoma 15). Serum LDH levels were not significantly elevated. However, the gastric juice LDH levels were significantly elevated in gastric polyps and gastric carcinoma. The mean levels were 96.81 +/- 14.31 and 443.2 +/- 58.1 i.u. /L respectively. Serial estimation of gastric juice LDH in patients with gastric polyps showed a remarkable elevation at the time of malignant transformation.
Metabolic and muscle damage profiles of concentric versus repeated eccentric cycling.

PURPOSE Eccentric cycling is an exercise modality that could elicit multiple health benefits with low metabolic cost, but unaccustomed performance results in significant muscle damage. It is not known whether muscle damage is attenuated when eccentric cycling is repeated; thus, this study compared metabolic and muscle damage responses to concentric (CONC) and two consecutive eccentric (ECC1 and ECC2) cycling bouts. METHODS Ten men (28 ± 8 yr) performed each cycling bout for 30 min at 60% of the maximal concentric power output at 60 rpm, with 2 wk between bouts. HR, oxygen consumption (V˙O2), blood lactate (BLa), RPE, and muscle activity (EMG) data were collected during cycling. Maximal voluntary isometric knee extensor (MVC) strength, squat (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, muscle soreness indicators, and plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity were measured before, immediately after, and 1-4 d after exercise. RESULTS Average HR, V˙O2, BLa, and RPE were lower (P < 0.05) during ECC1 than CONC, and EMG amplitude was also lower during ECC1 than CONC. Decreases in MVC, CMJ, and SJ and the increase in muscle soreness were greater (P x0003C; 0.05) after ECC1 than CONC. Increases in creatine kinase were minimal after all bouts. When comparing ECC1 and ECC2, HR and BLa were lower (P < 0.05) during ECC2 than ECC1, and decreases in MVC, CMJ, and SJ and the increase in muscle soreness were greater (P < 0.05) after ECC1 than ECC2. After ECC2, MVC, CMJ, and SJ did not change and no muscle soreness was developed. CONCLUSIONS Eccentric cycling was less metabolically demanding than concentric cycling, and HR and BLa were further reduced during ECC2. Muscle damage is minimal after ECC2 and should not influence the choice to undertake eccentric cycling training.
Study of Random Dopant Fluctuation Effects in Germanium-Source Tunnel FETs

The effects of random dopant fluctuations (RDFs) on the performance of Germanium-source tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) is studied using 3-D device simulation. The RDF in the source region is found to have the most impact on threshold voltage variation (σ<i>V</i><sub>TH</sub>) if the source is moderately doped (10<sup>19</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>) such that vertical tunneling within the source is dominant. If the source is heavily doped (10<sup>20</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>) such that lateral tunneling from the source to the channel is dominant, the impact of RDF in the channel region is also significant. RDF-induced threshold voltage variation (σ<i>V</i><sub>TH</sub>) for an optimally designed Ge-source TFET is relatively modest (σ<i>V</i><sub>TH</sub> <; 20 mV at <i>Lg</i> = 30 nm), compared with a MOSFET of similar gate length. Supply voltage scaling is not beneficial for reducing TFET σ<i>V</i><sub>TH</sub>.
Plant Identification with Large Number of Classes: SabanciU-GebzeTU System in PlantCLEF 2017

We describe the plant identification system that was submitted to the LifeCLEF plant identification campaign in 2017 [1], as a collaboration of Sabanci University and Gebze Technical University. Similar to our system that got a very close second place in 2016, we fine-tuned two well-known deep learning architectures (VGGNet and GoogLeNet) that were pre-trained on the object recognition dataset of ILSVRC 2012 and used an ensemble of 4-9 networks using score-level combination. Our best system was obtained with a classifier fusion of 9 networks trained with some differences in train settings, achieving an average inverse rank of 0.634 on the official test data, while the first place system achieved an impressive score of 0.92.
Dissociation between airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in allergic asthma.

In asthma, the acute increment of airway responsiveness caused by exposure to allergen is associated with influx of eosinophils into the airways. The relationship between chronic airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation is unclear, as they do not change consistently following long-term anti-inflammatory treatments. We studied 71 patients with chronic asthma and allergic sensitization to perennial allergens. Airway responsiveness was determined by inhalation of methacholine, and airway inflammation was quantified by induced sputum (n = 28) or bronchoalveolar lavage (n = 43) and bronchial biopsy (n = 20). The relationships between airway responsiveness and the numbers of different inflammatory cells were assessed by multiple regression analysis. No significant correlations were found between the degree of airway responsiveness and the numbers of inflammatory cells in sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage or bronchial biopsy. By contrast, baseline lung function was inversely related to the numbers of eosinophils and directly related to the numbers of macrophages. The eosinophil cationic protein contents of either sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage were significantly correlated with the percentages of eosinophils but not with airway responsiveness. We suggest that other factors (e.g., airway wall remodeling or autonomic dysfunction) may be responsible for most of the interindividual variability of airway responsiveness in asthma.
Modularization in Bayesian analysis, with emphasis on analysis of computer models

Bayesian analysis incorporates different sources of information into a single analysis through Bayes theorem. When one or more of the sources of information are suspect (e.g., if the model assumed for the information is viewed as quite possibly being significantly flawed), there can be a concern that Bayes theorem allows this suspect information to overly influence the other sources of information. We consider a variety of situations in which this arises, and give methodological suggestions for dealing with the problem. After consideration of some pedagogical examples of the phenomenon, we focus on the interface of statistics and the development of complex computer models of processes. Three testbed computer models are considered, in which this type of issue arises.
Does oxidative stress contribute to the pathology of Friedreich's ataxia? A radical question

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease that frequently culminates in cardiac failure at an early age. FRDA is believed to arise from reduced synthesis of the mitochondrial iron chaperone frataxin due to impaired gene transcription, which leads to mitochondrial iron accumulation, dysfunction of mitochondrial Fe‐S containing enzymes, and increased Fenton‐mediated free radical production. Recent reports have challenged this generally accepted hypothesis, by suggesting that the oxidative stress component in FRDA is minimal and thereby questioning the benefit of antioxidant therapeutic strategies. We suggest that this apparent paradox results from the radically divergent chemistries of the participating reactive oxygen species (ROS), the major cellular subcompartments involved and the overall cellular responses to ROS. In this review, we consider these factors and conclude that oxidative stress does constitute a major contributing factor to FRDA pathology. This reaffirms the idea that the rational design of specific small molecule multifunctional antioxidants will benefit FRDA patients. —Armstrong, J. S. , Khdour, O. , Hecht, S. M. Does oxidative stress contribute to the pathology of Friedreich's ataxia? A radical question. FASEBJ. 24, 2152–2163 (2010). www.fasebj. org
HST observations of the pulsating white dwarf GD 358

We used time-resolved ultraviolet spectroscopy obtained with the FOS and STIS spectrographs of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), together with archival IUE observations to measure the effective temperature (T eff ), surface gravity (log g) and distance (d) of the pulsating DB white dwarf GD 358 with unprecedented accuracy, and to show that the temperature did not change during the 1996 sforzando, when the star changed basically to a single mode pulsator. We also measured for the first time for a DBV the spherical harmonic degree () for two modes, with k = 8 and k = 9, which was only possible because the stellar light curve was dominated by a single mode in 1996. The independent spectra provide the following values: T eff = 24 100 ± 400 K, log g = 7.91 ± 0.26 and d = 42.7 ± 2.5 pc. The ultraviolet spectroscopic distance is in better agreement with the seismological value, than the one derived by parallax.