Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Changes in Withania somnifera with Varying Drought Stress Levels

A study was conducted in Withania somnifera plants in order to analyse the alterations in non-enzymatic antioxidant contents under different water stress regimes. Plants were grown with different water regimes like 10 days interval drought (DID), 15 DID and 20 DID water stress. The plants were uprooted randomly after DID induction for determining the effect of water deficit on non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant potentials. The studied non-enzymatic antioxidants were ascorbic acid, -tocopherol and reduced glutathione. They were assayed from leaf and roots of both control and treated plants. It was found that all the water stress treatments have profound effects on these parameters and resulted in an increase in this medicinal plant.
Target2DeNovoDrug: a novel programmatic tool for in silico-deep learning based de novo drug design for any target of interest

Abstract The on-going data-science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution offer researchers a fresh set of tools to approach structure-based drug design problems in the computer-aided drug design space. A novel programmatic tool that incorporates in silico and deep learning based approaches for de novo drug design for any target of interest has been reported. Once the user specifies the target of interest in the form of a representative amino acid sequence or corresponding nucleotide sequence, the programmatic workflow of the tool generates compounds from the PubChem ligand library and novel SMILES of compounds not present in any ligand library but are likely to be active against the target. Following this, the tool performs a computationally efficient In-Silico modeling of the target and the newly generated compounds and stores the results of the protein-ligand interaction in the working folder of the user. Further, for the protein-ligand complex associated with the best protein-ligand interaction, the tool performs an automated Molecular Dynamics (MD) protocol and generates plots such as RMSD (Root Mean Square Deviation) which reveal the stability of the complex. A demonstrated use of the tool has been shown with the target signatures of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha, an important therapeutic target in the case of anti-inflammatory treatment. The future scope of the tool involves, running the tool on a High-Performance Cluster for all known target signatures to generate data that will be useful to drive AI and Big data driven drug discovery. The code is hosted, maintained, and supported at the GitHub repository given in the link below https://github.com/bengeof/Target2DeNovoDrug Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Materials for DNA sequencing chip

Summary form only given. The rapid progress in the field of microfluidic devices, among them capillary electrophoresis microchips for DNA sequencing, stimulates a desire to exploit further the possibilities of such devices. Modem DNA sequencers are automated, small and allow very rapid separations (up to seconds). Different detection techniques are applied into the existing systems, among them the most common is fluorescence. However, a novel technique, based on the intrinsic absorption in nucleic acids of ultraviolet (UV) light, will solve a lot of detection problems. With regard to the advantages of the absorption technique, a material to manufacture a DNA sequencer should transmit UV light in the range of 260 nm where nucleic acids absorb strongly. Selection of material is therefore limited to wide band gap materials. Presented here are investigations focused on the optimization of a DNA chip. Different materials such as diamond, sapphire, polymers and quartz are compared with regard to optical and electrical properties, biological and chemical inertness and heat transfer Different phenomena occurring during capillary electrophoretic separations are taken into consideration. The advantages and drawbacks of using different materials are discussed, taking into consideration the technological problems of manufacturing microstructures and economical aspects.
Mental health, quality of life, wellbeing, loneliness and use of social media in a time of social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-country comparative study

Abstract Background The COVID-19 outbreak raised questions about how people experience their mental health, quality of life (QoL), wellbeing and loneliness in the context of social distancing, and the use of social media during this time Aims To examine the experience of mental health, QoL, wellbeing and loneliness and use of social media among people living in Norway, USA, UK and Australia. Methods A cross-country comparative survey of people living in Norway, USA, UK and Australia. Relevant statistical analyses were used to examine differences between the countries and to explore associations between demographic, mental health and psychosocial variables and use of social media. Results There were 3810 respondents from four countries, of which 50 − 74% showed a high level of emotional distress. The Norwegian population reported significantly better mental health, QoL and wellbeing and lower levels of loneliness compared to the other countries. High-frequent use of social media after the COVID-19 outbreak was associated with poorer mental- and psychosocial health. Conclusions The results suggest that the COVID-19 outbreak took a toll on people’s experience of mental health, QoL, wellbeing and experienced loneliness, and high-frequent use of social media was associated with these factors.
Genome-wide association study in almost 195,000 individuals identifies 50 previously unidentified genetic loci for eye color

A GWAS including 192,986 European and 1636 Asian participants identifies 50 novel discrete associations with eye color. Human eye color is highly heritable, but its genetic architecture is not yet fully understood. We report the results of the largest genome-wide association study for eye color to date, involving up to 192,986 European participants from 10 populations. We identify 124 independent associations arising from 61 discrete genomic regions, including 50 previously unidentified. We find evidence for genes involved in melanin pigmentation, but we also find associations with genes involved in iris morphology and structure. Further analyses in 1636 Asian participants from two populations suggest that iris pigmentation variation in Asians is genetically similar to Europeans, albeit with smaller effect sizes. Our findings collectively explain 53.2% (95% confidence interval, 45.4 to 61.0%) of eye color variation using common single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Overall, our study outcomes demonstrate that the genetic complexity of human eye color considerably exceeds previous knowledge and expectations, highlighting eye color as a genetically highly complex human trait.
Electron microscope holders for viewing thin wire specimens and field-ion microscope tips

The modifications necessary to convert electron microscope specimen holders for use with field-ion microscope specimen tips are described. Microscopes having an immersion objective lens are most suitable, and a modified specimen holder constructed for one of these (Philips EM 200) was found to be particularly reliable and easy to use. As an example of use, comparative field-ion and electron micrographs are presented of a tungsten specimen showing a twin boundary at the tip.
Applications of Atomic Magnetometry and Hyperpolarized Xenon

Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques have been exploited by scientists for everything from protein structure determination and clinical imaging, to drug synthesis and design. However, there are still several limitations, including portability, expense, and sensitivity. New methods will be described for sensitivity enhancement using xenon hyperpolarization and inexpensive low-field detection of nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), J-coupling, and hyperpolarized xenon (hp-Xe). Low-field detection is performed with an alkali vapor atomic magnetometer which is known to be extremely sensitive at earth's magnetic field and lower. This low field sensitivity allows for detection of nucleus interactions that are normally overshadowed by the much stronger Zeeman interactions at low field, such as NQR and J-coupling interactions. Lower magnetic field detection of conventional (Zeeman) NMR interactions are problematic due to the inherent loss of polarization at low fields. Hyperpolarization techniques, such as hp-Xe, allow NMR signal to be independent of the leading field strength. Hp-Xe is explored at high fields for microfluidic rapid screening applications, and at low field to expand the applications of these techniques.
Population divergence in the acoustic properties of crickets during the COVID‐19 pandemic

During the year 2020, the COVID-19 crisis resulted in many countries around the world going into a nationwide lockdown that lasted between weeks and months (Rutz et al. 2020). Anecdotal observations and social media revealed that some wildlife-both species that have been accustomed to human presence and those less so-returned to the previously human-dominated landscape during the lockdowns. These suggest that animals may have become more willing to explore novel environment or one previously considered dangerous (Manenti et al. 2020).
Gray matter structures associated with neuroticism: A meta‐analysis of whole‐brain voxel‐based morphometry studies

Neuroticism is major higher‐order personality trait and has been robustly associated with mental and physical health outcomes. Although a growing body of studies have identified neurostructural markers of neuroticism, the results remained highly inconsistent. To characterize robust associations between neuroticism and variations in gray matter (GM) structures, the present meta‐analysis investigated the concurrence across voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) studies using the anisotropic effect size signed differential mapping (AES‐SDM). A total of 13 studies comprising 2,278 healthy subjects (1,275 females, 29.20 ± 14.17 years old) were included. Our analysis revealed that neuroticism was consistently associated with the GM structure of a cluster spanning the bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and extending to the adjacent medial prefrontal cortex (dACC/mPFC). Meta‐regression analyses indicated that the neuroticism‐GM associations were not confounded by age and gender. Overall, our study is the first whole‐brain meta‐analysis exploring the brain structural correlates of neuroticism, and the findings may have implications for the intervention of high‐neuroticism individuals, who are at risk of mental disorders, by targeting the dACC/mPFC.
Patients’ experiences of the complex trust-building process within digital cardiac rehabilitation

The development of digital solutions is becoming increasingly important in facing global challenges. Therefore, research on this topic is important in taking into account cardiac patients’ experiences of the rehabilitation process for the design of digital counseling solutions. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore the different meanings that patients give to the rehabilitation process using a Glaserian grounded theory (GT) approach. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 participants from a rehabilitation center in Finland. The findings indicated a “complex trust-building process” core category comprising five categories of trust-building in rehabilitation: feeling that one has hit rock bottom, facing and coping in a crosscurrent, understanding together as a peer group, moving toward a healthier lifestyle with technology, and finding self-awareness. The complex process of trust-building involved interactions among emotion, cognition, and acceptance and support processes. Therefore, digital rehabilitation should be incorporated into counseling based on patients’ psychosocial, physical and emotional needs to help patients become aware of their own feelings and thoughts during the rehabilitation process.
PASTE: Network Stacks Must Integrate with NVMM Abstractions

This paper argues that the lack of explicit support for non-volatile main memory (NVMM) in network stacks fundamentally limits application performance. NVMM devices have been integrated into general-purpose OSes by providing familiar file-based interfaces and efficient byte-granularity access by bypassing page caches. However, this powerful property cannot be fully utilized unless network stacks also support it and applications exploit such support. This requires a thoroughly new network stack design, including low-level buffer management and APIs. We propose such a new network stack architecture to support NVMM and demonstrate its advantages for efficient write-ahead logging, a popular technique to implement transactions.
Shear and Integrin Outside-In Signaling Activate NADPH-Oxidase 2 to Promote Platelet Activation

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objective: Despite the importance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NOX (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NADPH] oxidase) 2 in platelet activation and in vivo thrombosis, it is unclear how ROS and NOX2 play a role in platelet activation and why NOX2 deficiencies in humans and mice do not affect hemostasis. Outside-in signaling of integrin αIIbβ3 mediates platelet response to shear stress, secondary platelet activation, and thrombus expansion and is critical to thrombosis but dispensable for hemostasis. We studied the mechanisms of platelet ROS generation, ROS-mediated platelet response, and the role of ROS in integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling. Approach and Results: ROS generation in activated platelets was low and slow without shear but was robust under shear. Shear-enhanced ROS generation and activation of p47phox, an important regulatory subunit of NOX2, were diminished by the integrin antagonist integrilin or β3 knockout, and by Gα13 knockout or blocking the Gα13-β3 interaction. Resting platelets spreading on integrin ligand fibrinogen also Gα13-dependently stimulated ROS generation and p47phox activation. Hence, Gα13-mediated outside-in signaling induces NOX2 activation and ROS generation which is greatly enhanced by shear. Outside-in NOX2 activation requires Src, phosphoinositide 3-kinase and Akt downstream of Gα13. Importantly, NOX2-knockout platelets showed defective ROS generation, reduced platelet spreading without shear, and reduced platelet adhesion and thrombus volume on collagen and VWF (von Willibrand factor) under shear, whereas ROS inhibition diminished activation of tyrosine kinase Syk. Conclusions: Outside-in signaling activates the mainly NOX2-mediated ROS generation, which mediates Syk-dependent secondary platelet activation, adhesion, and thrombosis with minimal effect on hemostasis.
Preparation and characterization of p-type Sb2Te3 and n-type Bi2Te3 thin films grown by coevaporation

p-type antimony telluride thin films and n-type bismuth telluride thin films have been deposited by coevaporation on glass substrates. The conditions for deposition have been investigated as a function of substrate temperature (Ts), flux ratio (Fr=F(Te)/F(Sb, Bi)) and optimized to achieve a high thermoelectric power factor. The quality of deposited films, e.g. structure, composition and morphology, has been examined by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, and with an atomic force microscope. The thermoelectric properties of the thin films have been evaluated by room temperature measurement of the Seebeck coefficient, Hall coefficient, and electrical resistivity. Both the crystallinity and the transport properties are strongly affected by nonstoichiometry with the highly stoichiometric samples exhibiting a high crystallinity and high thermoelectric power factor. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of p-type Sb2Te3 thin film (αp, σp) and .
Inception and propagation mechanisms of water treeing

Mechanisms of water treeing are reviewed. A definition of water trees is proposed on the basis of permanent the hydrophilic character and the reduced breakdown strength. Properties are discussed that are relevant to the water tree definition and to the inception and propagation mechanism. This includes the water content, the (sub)micrometer structure and the dielectric properties. The discussed propagation mechanisms include electro-mechanical forces, diffusion of hydrophilic species and two types of oxidation mechanisms. Also attention is paid to the correlations between processes and aging conditions. Inception mechanisms include injection of hydrophilic species and/or oxidation in damaged regions, electro-mechanical damage due to high electrical fields.
Approvals of type 2 diabetes drugs tested in cardiovascular outcome trials: A tripartite comparison

In 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a guidance requiring that cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) be conducted for newer hypoglycaemic drugs for type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to examine the decisions by 3 regulatory authorities in response to identical CVOT data.
Applying cavity ring‐down spectroscopy for the measurement of dissolved nitrous oxide concentrations and bulk nitrogen isotopic composition in aquatic systems: Correcting for interferences and field application

Laser spectroscopy is an emerging technology for measuring nitrous oxide (N2O) dynamics in the environment, but most studies have focused on atmospheric applications. We have coupled a commercially available cavity ring‐down spectroscope (CRDS) (Picarro G5101‐I isotopic N2O analyzer) to an air/water gas equilibration device to collect continuous in situ dissolved N2O molar concentration and bulk nitrogen isotopic (δ15N‐N2O) data. The δ15N‐N2O values measured by the CRDS unit were found to be significantly affected by changes in the mixing ratios of O2, CO, CH4, and CO2. There was also an effect of N2O mixing ratio on δ15N‐N2O. A series of equations was developed to correct for the matrix effect of O2 and the spectral interference by CH4. Chemical traps effectively prevented interferences by CO and CO2. The maximum corrections required for N2O mixing ratio and O2 matrix effects, were 1‰ (at a mixing ratio of 1.2 ppmv), and 11‰ (at 0% O2 content), respectively. The CH4 correction only became important at mixing ratios greater than 500 ppmv (>0.5‰). Measurements of N2O molar concentration and δ15N‐N2O from the CRDS isotopic N2O analyzer were similar to those measured with isotope ratio mass spectrometry. We demonstrated the utility of the laser‐based system with field deployments in three estuarine tidal creeks in subtropical Australia. Future work in this field should focus on the application of the laser‐based system to the measurement of N2O isotopologues in aquatic habitats, allowing for further constraints to be placed on the pathways of N2O cycling in aquatic system.
Effect of Disability-Specific Education on Student Attitudes Toward People With Disabilities

Attitude is a multidimensional and complex notion that considerably empowers or limits the major life activities of humans. Health professionals’ attitudes toward people with disabilities are significant factors in the rehabilitation process. Soon after completing their coursework, the final-year students from health science meet the patients and rehabilitate them. This study accordingly aims to assess the attitude toward disability among final-year health science students before and after administering a disability-specific structured teaching program. A total of 243 final-year undergraduate health science students from medical, dental, physical therapy, pharmacy, laboratory sciences, radiology sciences, and nursing aged between 21 and 27 years participated in this study. This work employed the Scale of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (SADP) to measure attitudes among participants. The mean pre- and posttest SADP scores were 83.59 ± 15.45 and 107.83 ± 62, respectively (p < .001). Students from medical, dental, physical therapy, and nursing showed significant positive attitudes toward disability compared with other students, whereas college students in the final year of health science generally had poor attitudes toward disability. The results indicate that the disability-specific structured teaching program is effective in improving the attitude toward disability among final-year health science students. Accordingly, the authors recommend modifying the disability-related content in the health sciences curriculum.
Visual-perceptual function of children using the developmental test of visual perception-3

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance: The development of region-specific norms for the Developmental Test of Visual Perception, third edition (DTVP-3), from a group of children from South India will contribute to the assessment of visual-perceptual skills in children. Background: Visual-perceptual skills are crucial for children to understand their environment, perform activities of daily living, and cope with their learning environment. These perceptual skills also influence children’s behavioural characteristics. Well-constructed, norm-referenced standardised tools are vital for assessing visual-perceptual skills. Since ethnicity and cultural background may influence the performance of perceptual tasks, the proposed norms for any assessment tool need to be validated for specific populations. Hence, the current study aimed to develop norms in the Indian context for the Developmental Test of Visual Perception, third edition (DTVP-3), and compare the obtained norms with the norms established in the United States of America. Methods: One hundred and thirty-seven healthy children (mean age: 9.5 ± 1.7 years, range: 7-12 years, 67 females) participated in the study. Visual-perceptual functions including eye-hand coordination, copying, figure-ground, visual closure, and form constancy, were assessed and compared with age-matched norms provided in the test manual. Internal consistency of DTVP-3 was evaluated using Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients. Results: Significant differences were observed between the study groups and the given norms for assessment of the abilities of eye-hand coordination, copying skills and visual figure-ground (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found for visual closure and form constancy subtests. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the five subtests ranged from 0.70 to 0.91 while the composite indexes had coefficients from 0.90 to 0.93. Conclusion: The DTVP-3 showed acceptable limits of internal consistency when tested in a group of children from South India. Region-specific norms need to be used for each of the subtests.
Visualizing substructure of Ca2+ waves by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscope is a new optical microscopic system based on near-field optical theory. Its character of illumination by evanescent wave, together with the great signal-to-noise ratio and temporal resolution achieved by high quality CCD, allows us to analyze the spatiotemporal details of local Ca2+ dynamics within the nanoscale microdomain surrounding different Ca2+ channels. We have recently constructed a versatile objective TIRFM equipped with a high numerical aperture (NA=1.45) objective. Using fluo-4 as the Ca2+ indicator, we visualized the near-membrane profiles of Ca2+ waves and elementary Ca2+ sparks generated by Ca2+ release channels in rat ventricular myocytes. Different from those detected using conventional and confocal microscopy, Ca2+ waves observed with TIRFM exhibited fine inhomogenous substructures composed of fluctuating Ca2+ sparks. The anfractuous routes of spark recruitment suggested that the propagation of Ca2+ waves is much more complicated than previously imagined. We believe that TIRFM will provide a unique tool for dissecting the microscopic mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ signaling.