Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A label-free real-time method for measuring glucose uptake kinetics in yeast.

Glucose uptake assays commonly rely on the isotope-labeled sugar, which is associated with radioactive waste and exposure of the experimenter to radiation. Here, we show that the rapid decrease of the cytosolic pH after a glucose pulse to starved Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells is dependent on the rate of sugar uptake and can be used to determine the kinetic parameters of sugar transporters. The pH-sensitive GFP variant pHluorin is employed as a genetically encoded biosensor to measure the rate of acidification as a proxy of transport velocity in real time. The measurements are performed in the hexose transporter-deficient (hxt0) strain EBY.VW4000 that has been previously used to characterize a plethora of sugar transporters from various organisms. Therefore, this method provides an isotope-free, fluorometric approach for kinetic characterization of hexose transporters in a well-established yeast expression system.
Temperature Coefficients of Resistance of Metallic Films in the Temperature Range 25° to 600°C

The temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) of films of sputtered Au, Ir, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ta, and W, of evaporated Al, Cr, Ti, and Zr, and of the alloy films Pt–Au, Pt–Ir, and Pt–Ni have been measured in vacuo over the temperature range 25° to 600°C; the film thickness range was 75 to 2000 A. The TCR values of films of the substantially pure metals were in the range ⅓ to ⅔ those of the respective bulk metals whether deposited on glass, Vycor, or Stupalith substrates. The departure of the conditions of growth of the film from those usual for the bulk metal, i.e., rapid cooling effects and impurities present, contributed imperfections which reduced the TCR of the film. The TCR values of alloy films were low, 0.0004 per °C for Au–Pt, and resistivities were 3 to 4 times that of either constituent. The TCR values of sputtered films of Mo, W, and Ta and of evaporated Cr, Zr, and Ti were generally less than 0.0001 per °C. Electron diffraction examination of films of these latter metals revealed oxide in.
Sweet Basil Functional Quality as Shaped by Genotype and Macronutrient Concentration Reciprocal Action

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is among the most widespread aromatic plants due to its versatility of use and its beneficial health properties. This aromatic plant thrives in hydroponics, which is a valid tool to improve the production and functional quality of crops, but nevertheless, it offers the possibility to de-seasonalize production. A floating raft system was adopted to test the production and quality potential during autumn season of three different genotypes of Genovese basil (Aroma 2, Eleonora and Italiano Classico) grown in three nutrient solutions with crescent electrical conductivity (EC: 1, 2 and 3 dS m−1). The aromatic and phenolic profiles were determined by GC/MS and HPLC analysis, respectively. The combination Aroma 2 and the EC 2 dS m−1 resulted in the highest production, both in terms of fresh weight and dry biomass. The 2 dS m−1 treatment determined the major phenolic content, 44%, compared to the other two EC. Italiano Classico showed a higher total polyphenolic content in addition to a different aromatic profile compared to the other cultivars, characterized by a higher percentage of Eucalyptol (+37%) and Eugenol (+107%) and a lower percentage of linalool (−44%). Correct management of the nutritional solution combined with adequate genetic material managed an improvement in the production and the obtainment of the desired aromatic and phenolic profiles.
Siloxane-Bond Formation Promoted by Lewis Acids: A Nonhydrolytic Sol-Gel Process and the Piers-Rubinsztajn Reaction.

Siloxane formation reactions of both the nonhydrolytic sol-gel process and Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction can be integrated as Lewis acid promoted siloxane syntheses without involving silanol groups. The former was developed in the field of inorganic materials chemistry and the latter was initiated in polymer chemistry. We have realized both reactions are quite similar, in terms of 1) the nonhydrolytic reaction, 2) the use of alkoxysilanes, 3) the group-exchange reactions competing with the siloxane formation, and 4) the proposed reaction mechanisms. This Minireview focuses on the above two reactions. The evolution of both reactions should realize a more sophisticated molecular design of siloxane compounds, which surely contributes to the development of advanced functional materials.
Sialylation acts as a checkpoint for innate immune responses in the central nervous system

Sialic acids are monosaccharides that normally terminate the glycan chains of cell surface glyco‐proteins and ‐lipids in mammals, and are highly enriched in the central nervous tissue. Sialic acids are conjugated to proteins and lipids (termed “sialylation”) by specific sialyltransferases, and are removed (“desialylation”) by neuraminidases. Cell surface sialic acids are sensed by complement factor H (FH) to inhibit complement activation or by sialic acid‐binding immunoglobulin‐like lectin (SIGLEC) receptors to inhibit microglial activation, phagocytosis, and oxidative burst. In contrast, desialylation of cells enables binding of the opsonins C1, calreticulin, galectin‐3, and collectins, stimulating phagocytosis of such cells. Hypersialylation is used by bacteria and cancers as camouflage to escape immune recognition, while polysialylation of neurons protects synapses and neurogenesis. Insufficient lysosomal cleavage of sialylated molecules can lead to lysosomal accumulation of lipids and aggregated proteins, which if excessive may be expelled into the extracellular space. On the other hand, desialylation of immune receptors can activate them or trigger removal of proteins. Loss of inhibitory SIGLECs or FH triggers reduced clearance of aggregates, oxidative brain damage and complement‐mediated retinal damage. Thus, cell surface sialylation recognized by FH, SIGLEC, and other immune‐related receptors acts as a major checkpoint inhibitor of innate immune responses in the central nervous system, while excessive cleavage of sialic acid residues and consequently removing this checkpoint inhibitor may trigger lipid accumulation, protein aggregation, inflammation, and neurodegeneration.
Mining Natural Products for Macrocycles to Drug Difficult Targets

Lead generation for difficult-to-drug targets that have large, featureless, and highly lipophilic or highly polar and/or flexible binding sites is highly challenging. Here, we describe how cores of macrocyclic natural products can serve as a high-quality in silico screening library that provides leads for difficult-to-drug targets. Two iterative rounds of docking of a carefully selected set of natural-product-derived cores led to the discovery of an uncharged macrocyclic inhibitor of the Keap1-Nrf2 protein–protein interaction, a particularly challenging target due to its highly polar binding site. The inhibitor displays cellular efficacy and is well-positioned for further optimization based on the structure of its complex with Keap1 and synthetic access. We believe that our work will spur interest in using macrocyclic cores for in silico-based lead generation and also inspire the design of future macrocycle screening collections.
Vitamins D2 and D3 have overlapping but different effects on human gene expression revealed through analysis of blood transcriptomes in a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled food-fortification trial

For the first time, we report the influence of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 on genome-wide gene expression in whole blood from healthy women representing two ethnic groups, white European and South Asian. In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, participants were given daily physiological doses (15 g) of either vitamin D2 or D3 for 12 weeks and changes in the transcriptome were compared relative to the transcriptome at baseline. While there was some overlap in the repertoire of differentially expressed genes after supplementation with each vitamin D source, most changes were specific to either vitamin D3 or vitamin D2, suggesting that each form of the vitamin may have different effects on human physiology. Notably, following vitamin D3 supplementation, the majority of changes in gene expression reflected a down-regulation in the activity of genes, many encoding components of the innate and adaptive immune systems. These are consistent with the emerging concept that vitamin D orchestrates a shift in the immune system towards a more tolerogenic status. The profound differences in gene expression after supplementation with vitamin D2 compared with vitamin D3 warrant a more intensive investigation of the biological effects of the two forms of vitamin D on human physiology.
Overexpression of Soybean-Derived Lunasin in Wheat and Assessment of Its Anti-Proliferative Activity in Colorectal Cancer HT-29 Cells

Lunasin is a soybean-derived peptide that exhibits anticancer bioactivity in different cancer cells and has been identified in different plants. However, recent studies revealed through molecular and chemical analyses that lunasin was absent in wheat and other cereals. In this study, the soybean-derived lunasin was cloned into pCAMBIA3300 and we transferred the expression vector into wheat via an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The identification of transgenic wheat was detected by polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that lunasin content in transgenic wheat L32-3, L32-6, and L33-1 was 308.63, 436.78, and 349.07 µg/g, respectively, while lunasin was not detected in wild-type wheat. Lunasin enrichment from transgenic wheat displayed an increased anti-proliferative activity compared with peptide enrichment from wild-type wheat in HT-29 cells. Moreover, the results of a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed a significant elevation in p21, Bax, and caspase-3 expression, while Bcl-2 was significantly downregulated. In conclusion, soybean-derived lunasin was successfully expressed in wheat via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and may exert anti-proliferative activity by regulating the apoptosis pathway in HT-29 cells, which provides an effective approach to compensate for the absence of lunasin in wheat.
Strategies to Improve the Energy Storage Properties of Perovskite Lead-Free Relaxor Ferroelectrics: A Review

Electrical energy storage systems (EESSs) with high energy density and power density are essential for the effective miniaturization of future electronic devices. Among different EESSs available in the market, dielectric capacitors relying on swift electronic and ionic polarization-based mechanisms to store and deliver energy already demonstrate high power densities. However, different intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to energy dissipations prevent ceramic-based dielectric capacitors from reaching high recoverable energy density levels. Interestingly, relaxor ferroelectric-based dielectric capacitors, because of their low remnant polarization, show relatively high energy density and thus display great potential for applications requiring high energy density properties. In this study, some of the main strategies to improve the energy density properties of perovskite lead-free relaxor systems are reviewed, including (i) chemical modification at different crystallographic sites, (ii) chemical additives that do not target lattice sites, and (iii) novel processing approaches dedicated to bulk ceramics, thick and thin films, respectively. Recent advancements are summarized concerning the search for relaxor materials with superior energy density properties and the appropriate choice of both composition and processing routes to match various applications’ needs. Finally, future trends in computationally-aided materials design are presented.
Dispersity of Catalyst and Catalytic Activity. Catalytic Hydrogenation of Acetylene on the Pd-Kieselguhr Catalyst

1) Hydrogenation of acetylene on the Pdkieselguhr catalyst of various dispersities was investigated. 2) It was shown that the hydrogenation of acetylene proceeded not only to ethylene, but also to ethane by all the catalysts of various dispersities, and that in two distinct steps quite similarly with the Pd-alumina (1:100) catalyst. 3) The ratio of the hydrogenation rate of acetylene to that of ethylene was affected by the dispersity, suggesting the appearance of the various “active regions” of the catalyst surface to be connected with the dispersity. It was large for the catalyst of larger dispersities and this fact explains the results previously obtained by the flow method. 4) Some considerations were given to the rate-determining step in the hydrogenation of ethylene.
Micropatterning by Wettability Control of the SiO2 Surface with Ultraviolet Irradiation

A new phenomenon has been described for fabrication micropatterning by changing SiO2 surface wettability with ultraviolet irradiation. The most possible reason is the elimination of surface oxygen vacancies at bridging sites. With this technique reconstructed, it may be applicable to assembly of microelectronic circuits in the future.
Failure to replicate the association of rare loss-of-function variants in type I IFN immunity genes with severe COVID-19

A recent report found that rare predicted loss-of-function (pLOF) variants across 13 candidate genes in TLR3- and IRF7-dependent type I IFN pathways explain up to 3.5% of severe COVID-19 cases. We performed whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing of 1,934 COVID-19 cases (713 with severe and 1,221 with mild disease) and 15,251 ancestry-matched population controls across four independent COVID-19 biobanks. We then tested if rare pLOF variants in these 13 genes were associated with severe COVID-19. We identified only one rare pLOF mutation across these genes amongst 713 cases with severe COVID-19 and observed no enrichment of pLOFs in severe cases compared to population controls or mild COVID-19 cases. We find no evidence of association of rare loss-of-function variants in the proposed 13 candidate genes with severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Determinants of Successful Financial Inclusion in Low-Income Rural Population

Finance plays a key role in the growth of developed as well as developing nations. A financially well included society leads to stronger growth. Financial inclusion aims at providing easy and affordable access to financial products and services. The main concern for any developing nation from a growth point of view is advancement of low-income rural population just as much as the high-income population. Taking a note of this, identifying the key determinants that would lead to successful financial inclusion of low-income rural population is equally, if not more, important. The inclusion strategies have to be built around these determinants to promote inclusion and thus, a clear picture of these determinants is a must have for strategy and policy makers. Though the factors may be somewhat similar across the nation, but their significance and impact on financial inclusion varies greatly from one geographical area to other. In line with this, the purpose of this study is to identify the dimensions of successful financial inclusion in the low-income rural segments with special reference to Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The study uses factor analysis to identify the determinants and path analysis to analyse the significance of these factors in financial inclusion.
Usefulness of nivolumab plus ipilimumab immunotherapy for metastatic uveal melanoma

Abstract A 53-year-old woman with known localized uveal melanoma presented with pain from a large destructive lesion of the left iliac bone. Biopsy confirmed metastatic melanoma, and positron emission tomography scan showed extensive osseous destruction. Because her uveal melanoma was successfully treated with brachytherapy 15 years earlier, next-generation sequencing was performed, and a GNAQ mutation proved the lesion to be of uveal origin. Uveal melanoma has a worse prognosis than cutaneous melanoma. We initiated treatment with the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, and after four cycles of treatment a positron emission tomography scan showed resolution of all prior lesions. The patient was then placed on maintenance therapy.
Biometric Data Analysis for Identifying Features of the Structural and Spatial Organization of Hydrobiological Communities

In the rivers of the Yenisei basin, benthic invertebrates play a major role in feeding most Siberian valuable fish species. This report presents advanced material on zoobenthos of the river Kan (one of the major tributaries of the Yenisei river in its middle course). Litho-psammo-rheophilic biocenosis of benthic invertebrates is most developed; 99 species and forms are recorded there. The total abundance of zoobenthos is formed by mayflies, caddisflies and chironomids, and biomass by caddisflies and mayflies. The correlation analysis reveals a consistent variation in the abundance of structure-forming insect orders (mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies). The clustering of data on the abundance of families reveals the consistency with the geographical zoning of the river Kan and change in hydrological conditions. In the longitudinal profile of the river, there is a change of the dominant families among mayflies in Heptageniidae – Ephemerellidae – Ephemeridae; families of caddisflies – from Glossosomatidae to Hydropsychidae. The water temperature during the study period determined up to 30% of the variance in the number of stoneflies, dipterans, and the “other” group. For caddisflies, the influence of oxygen dissolved in water is more significant (20% of the explained dispersion).
Answer Set Programming in Healthcare: Extended Overview

The ASP methodology has been recognized to be a viable solution to many practical applications, including scheduling problems, and in particular in the healthcare domain, of high interest in this period given the COVID-19 pandemic, where ASP proved to be an effective solution to some interesting problems In this paper we present an overview of scheduling problems in the healthcare domain that have been successfully solved via ASP in the last two years Starting from two”basic” problems, i e , referred to the scheduling of operating rooms in presence of scarce resources (e g , ICU beds) and the Nurse Scheduling problem, we show how we have improved such solutions, and mention further problems we have dealt with, including the Chemotherapy Scheduling problem On top of all problems, we are working on providing explainability features, of utmost importance in this field, that for the moment are being instantiated on a single problem Copyright © 2020 for this paper by its authors Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4 0 International (CC BY 4 0)
Automatic Detection of Social Isolation based on Human behavior Analysis

Social isolation is a problem that is accentuated in the stage of old age. This condition puts the physical and mental integrity of older adults at risk. This paper presents a predictive model for the automatic detection of social isolation in older adults. The predictive model was implemented in a mobile application that monitors communication and mobility activities performed by an older adult. The mobile application was also generated for a caregiver who is responsible for receiving notifications about the specific level of social isolation of the older adult. The predictive model was evaluated using an experimental group of older adults.
LexMa: Tabular Data to Knowledge Graph Matching using Lexical Techniques

​ With the fundamentals of lives dependent upon the extensive use of the internet-based searches for common life items, there is an ever-growing demand of the quick and meaningful search query systems. This has given the rise of the concept called Semantic Web. There are many challenges in developing the Semantic Web however one fundamental challenge is to design systems to enable the semantic access to the information in tabular data (e.g., Web tables). In this paper, we discuss one such system which has been developed for the automatic annotation of the tabular data using a knowledge graph. We call this system LexMa. Our system is based on lexical matching techniques. LexMa has participated in the Semantic Web Challenge on Tabular Data to Knowledge Graph Matching (SemTab 2020).
Towards Effective and Efficient Approximate Query Answering in Probabilistic DeLP (short paper)

This work presents an overview of a research project focused on R&D for approximate query answering in probabilistic structured argumentation based on DeLP [2]. The ultimate goal is to develop a suite of algorithms for tackling the computational cost of this task and selection criteria for choosing the best one based on the analysis of available information. In the rest of this section, we briefly present the basics of DeLP3E knowledge bases.
Hygroscopic properties of aerosol particles in the north-eastern Atlantic during ACE-2

Measurements of the hygroscopic properties of sub-micrometer atmospheric aerosol particles were performed with hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analysers (H-TDMA) at 5 sites in the subtropical north-eastern Atlantic during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-2) from 16 June to 25 July 1997. Four of the sites were in the marine boundary layer and one was, at least occasionally, in the lower free troposphere. The hygroscopic diameter growth factors of individual aerosol particles in the dry particle diameter range 10−440 nm were generally measured for changes in relative humidity (RH) from <10% to 90%. In the marine boundary layer, growth factors at 90% RH were dependent on location, air mass type and particle size. The data was dominated by a unimodal growth distribution of more-hygroscopic particles, although a bimodal growth distribution including less-hygroscopic particles was observed at times, most often in the more polluted air masses. In clean marine air masses the more-hygroscopic growth factors ranged from about 1.6 to 1.8 with a consistent increase in growth factor with increasing particle size. There was also a tendency toward higher growth factors as sodium to sulphate molar ratio increased with increasing sea-salt contribution at higher wind speeds. During outbreaks of European pollution in the ACE-2 region, the growth factors of the largest particles were reduced, but only slightly. Growth factors at all sizes in both clean and polluted air masses were markedly lower at the Sagres, Portugal site due to more proximate continental influences. The frequency of occurrence of less-hygroscopic particles with a growth factor of ca. 1.15 was greatest during polluted conditions at Sagres. The free tropospheric 50 nm particles were predominately less-hygroscopic, with an intermediate growth factor of 1.4, but more-hygroscopic particles with growth factors of about 1.6 were also frequent. While these particles probably originate from within the marine boundary layer, the less-hygroscopic particles are probably more characteristic of lower free tropospheric air masses. For those occasions when measurements were made at 90% and an intermediate 60% or 70% RH, the growth factor G(RH) of the more-hygroscopic particles could be modelled empirically by a power law expression. For the ubiquitous more-hygroscopic particles, the expressions G(RH)=(1-RH/100)-0.210 for 50 nm Aitken mode particles and G(RH)=(1-RH/100)-0.233 for 166 nm accumulation mode particles are recommended for clean marine air masses in the north-eastern Atlantic within the range 0