Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Titanium(IV) Complexes of Unsymmetrical Schiff Bases Derived from Ethylenediamine and o-Hydroxyaldehyde/Ketone and Their Anti-microbial Evaluation

The titanium(IV) complexes of the unsymmetrical Schiff base ligands (L) of ethylenediamine and salicylaldehyde, o-hydroxyacetophenone, o-hydroxynapthaldehyde have been prepared and characterized when unsymmetrical ligands are synthesized through in situ partial displacement of the symmetrical bis-Schiff bases. Compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, electronic, (Infra-red) IR, 1H NMR spectral data, magnetic susceptibility measurement and molar conductance and eight coordinated geometry of the complexes was proposed. The complexes have been found to posses 1:2:1 (M:L:B) stoichiometry (B is the secondary ligand). The bio-efficacy of the prepared complexes has been examined against the growth of bacteria and fungi in vitro to evaluate their anti-microbial potential.
The Perturbed Free‐Energy Landscape: Linking Ligand Binding to Biomolecular Folding

The effects of ligand binding on biomolecular conformation are crucial in drug design, enzyme mechanisms, the regulation of gene expression, and other biological processes. Descriptive models such as “lock and key”, “induced fit”, and “conformation selection” are common ways to interpret such interactions. Another historical model, linked equilibria, proposes that the free‐energy landscape (FEL) is perturbed by the addition of ligand binding energy for the bound population of biomolecules. This principle leads to a unified, quantitative theory of ligand‐induced conformation change, building upon the FEL concept. We call the map of binding free energy over biomolecular conformational space the “binding affinity landscape” (BAL). The perturbed FEL predicts/explains ligand‐induced conformational changes conforming to all common descriptive models. We review recent experimental and computational studies that exemplify the perturbed FEL, with emphasis on RNA. This way of understanding ligand‐induced conformation dynamics motivates new experimental and theoretical approaches to ligand design, structural biology and systems biology.
One‐Year Results of Prospective Research Study Using 10 kHz Spinal Cord Stimulation in Persistent Nonoperated Low Back Pain of Neuropathic Origin: Maiden Back Study

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a recommended treatment for chronic neuropathic pain. Persistent nonoperative low back pain of neuropathic origin has profound negative impacts on patient's lives. This prospective, open label, research study aimed to explore the use of SCS in patients with associated features of central sensitisation such as allodynia and hyperalgesia.
Genome-in-a-Box: Building a Chromosome from the Bottom Up

Chromosome structure and dynamics are essential for life, as the way that our genomes are spatially organized within cells is crucial for gene expression, differentiation, and genome transfer to daughter cells. There is a wide variety of methods available to study chromosomes, ranging from live-cell studies to single-molecule biophysics, which we briefly review. While these technologies have yielded a wealth of data, such studies still leave a significant gap between top-down experiments on live cells and bottom-up in vitro single-molecule studies of DNA–protein interactions. Here, we introduce “genome-in-a-box” (GenBox) as an alternative in vitro approach to build and study chromosomes, which bridges this gap. The concept is to assemble a chromosome from the bottom up by taking deproteinated genome-sized DNA isolated from live cells and subsequently add purified DNA-organizing elements, followed by encapsulation in cell-sized containers using microfluidics. Grounded in the rationale of synthetic cell research, the approach would enable to experimentally study emergent effects at the global genome level that arise from the collective action of local DNA-structuring elements. We review the various DNA-structuring elements present in nature, from nucleoid-associated proteins and SMC complexes to phase separation and macromolecular crowders. Finally, we discuss how GenBox can contribute to several open questions on chromosome structure and dynamics.
Performance Evaluation of Knitted and Stitched Textile Strain Sensors

By embedding conductive yarns in, or onto, knitted textile fabrics, simple but robust stretch sensor garments can be manufactured. In that way resistance based sensors can be fully integrated in textiles without compromising wearing comfort, stretchiness, washability, and ease of use in daily life. The many studies on such textile strain sensors that have been published in recent years show that these sensors work in principle, but closer inspection reveals that many of them still have severe practical limitations like a too narrow working range, lack of sensitivity, and undesired time-dependent and hysteresis effects. For those that intend to use this technology it is difficult to determine which manufacturing parameters, shape, stitch type, and materials to apply to realize a functional sensor for a given application. This paper therefore aims to serve as a guideline for the fashion designers, electronic engineers, textile researchers, movement scientists, and human–computer interaction specialists planning to create stretch sensor garments. The paper is limited to textile based sensors that can be constructed using commercially available conductive yarns and existing knitting and embroidery equipment. Within this subtopic, relevant literature is discussed, and a detailed quantitative comparison is provided focusing on sensor characteristics like the gauge factor, working range, and hysteresis.
Endoscopic management of enteral tubes in adult patients – Part 2: Peri- and post-procedural management. European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Guideline

Main recommendations ESGE recommends the “pull” technique as the standard method for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement. Strong recommendation, low quality evidence. ESGE recommends the direct percutaneous introducer (“push”) technique for PEG placement in cases where the “pull” method is contraindicated, for example in severe esophageal stenosis or in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) or esophageal cancer. Strong recommendation, low quality evidence. ESGE recommends the intravenous administration of a prophylactic single dose of a beta-lactam antibiotic (or appropriate alternative antibiotic, in the case of allergy) to decrease the risk of post-procedural wound infection. Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence. ESGE recommends that inadvertent insertion of a nasogastric tube (NGT) into the respiratory tract should be considered a serious but avoidable adverse event (AE). Strong recommendation, low quality evidence. ESGE recommends that each institution should have a dedicated protocol to confirm correct positioning of NGTs placed “blindly” at the patient’s bedside; this should include: radiography, pH testing of the aspirate, and end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring, but not auscultation alone. Strong recommendation, low quality evidence. ESGE recommends confirmation of correct NGT placement by radiography in high-risk patients (intensive care unit [ICU] patients or those with altered consciousness or absent gag/cough reflex). Strong recommendation, low quality evidence. ESGE recommends that EN may be started within 3 – 4 hours after uncomplicated placement of a PEG or PEG-J. Strong recommendation, high quality evidence. ESGE recommends that daily tube mobilization (pushing inward) along with a loose position of the external PEG bumper (1 – 2 cm from the abdominal wall) could mitigate the risk of development of buried bumper syndrome. Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
Pathways to Clinical Cardiac Xenotransplantation.

Heart transplantation is the only long-lasting life-saving option for patients with terminal cardiac failure. The number of available human organs is however far below the actual need, resulting in substantial mortality of patients while waiting for a human heart. Mechanical assist devices are used to support cardiac function, but are associated with a high risk of severe complications and poor quality of life for the patients. Consistent success in orthotopic transplantation of genetically modified pig hearts into baboons indicates that cardiac xenotransplantation may become a clinically applicable option for heart failure patients who cannot get a human heart transplant. In this overview, we project potential paths to clinical cardiac xenotransplantation, including the choice of genetically modified source pigs, associated requirements of microbiological, including virological, safety, optimized matching of source pig and recipient, and specific treatments of the donor heart after explantation and of the recipients. Moreover, selection of patients and the regulatory framework will be discussed.
Automatic Classification of Myocardial Infarction Using Spline Representation of Single-Lead Derived Vectorcardiography

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases worldwide and most patients suffer from MI without awareness. Therefore, early diagnosis and timely treatment are crucial to guarantee the life safety of MI patients. Most wearable monitoring devices only provide single-lead electrocardiography (ECG), which represents a major limitation for their applicability in diagnosis of MI. Incorporating the derived vectorcardiography (VCG) techniques can help monitor the three-dimensional electrical activities of human hearts. This study presents a patient-specific reconstruction method based on long short-term memory (LSTM) network to exploit both intra- and inter-lead correlations of ECG signals. MI-induced changes in the morphological and temporal wave features are extracted from the derived VCG using spline approximation. After the feature extraction, a classifier based on multilayer perceptron network is used for MI classification. Experiments on PTB diagnostic database demonstrate that the proposed system achieved satisfactory performance to differentiating MI patients from healthy subjects and to localizing the infarcted area.
3D Fast Object Detection Based on Discriminant Images and Dynamic Distance Threshold Clustering

The object detection algorithm based on vehicle-mounted lidar is a key component of the perception system on autonomous vehicles. It can provide high-precision and highly robust obstacle information for the safe driving of autonomous vehicles. However, most algorithms are often based on a large amount of point cloud data, which makes real-time detection difficult. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a 3D fast object detection method based on three main steps: First, the ground segmentation by discriminant image (GSDI) method is used to convert point cloud data into discriminant images for ground points segmentation, which avoids the direct computing of the point cloud data and improves the efficiency of ground points segmentation. Second, the image detector is used to generate the region of interest of the three-dimensional object, which effectively narrows the search range. Finally, the dynamic distance threshold clustering (DDTC) method is designed for different density of the point cloud data, which improves the detection effect of long-distance objects and avoids the over-segmentation phenomenon generated by the traditional algorithm. Experiments have showed that this algorithm can meet the real-time requirements of autonomous driving while maintaining high accuracy.
Fitness benefits to bacteria of carrying prophages and prophage‐encoded antibiotic‐resistance genes peak in different environments

Bacteria can acquire antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via prophages, phage genomes integrated into bacterial chromosomes. Such prophages may influence bacterial fitness via increased antibiotic resistance, protection from further phage infection, or by switching to a lytic lifecycle that releases free phages which can infect phage-susceptible competitors. We expect these effects to depend on environmental conditions because of, for example, environment-dependent induction of the lytic lifecycle. However, our understanding of how costs and benefits of prophage-encoded ARGs vary across environments remains limited. Here, by studying prophages with and without ARGs in Escherichia coli, we distinguished between effects of prophages alone and ARGs they carry. In competition with prophage-free strains, fitness benefits from prophages and ARGs peaked in different environments. Prophage carriage was most beneficial in conditions where induction of the lytic lifecycle was common, whereas ARGs were more beneficial in the presence of antibiotics and when prophage induction was lower. Acquisition of prophage-encoded ARGs by competing phage-susceptible strains was most common when prophage induction, and therefore the amount of free phages, was high. Thus, selection on prophages and ARGs varies independently across environments, which is important for predicting the spread of mobile/integrating genetic elements and their role in antibiotic resistance evolution.
Co-infection of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya in a group of pregnant women from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas: Preliminary data. 2019

Introduction Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya are RNA Arboviruses present in some areas of Mexico, mainly in the endemic state of Chiapas that is characterized by presence of the vector that transmit them and an ecology that favors high transmission. According to the national epidemiological surveillance system, Dengue has intensified since 2018 and outbreaks continue in various states while for Zika and Chikungunya a decrease in cases has been reported in recent years. The main objective of this study was to determine the incidence of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya infections during pregnancy in the state of Chiapas. Principal findings The presence of previous and current infections and coinfections diagnosed by molecular (RT-PCR) and immunological (ELISA for IgG determination) techniques indicates a wide circulation of viruses in asymptomatic people, specifically in pregnant women showing that silent infections in dry season contributes to the preservation of viruses. Conclusions From 136 studied samples, 27.7% tested positive for DENV, 8% for ZIKV and 24.1% for CHIKV by RTPCR and the values of IgG in sera show that 83.9% were positive for IgG antibodies against DENV, 65% against ZIKV and 59.1% against CHIKV. Results demonstrated presence of ZIKV and CHIKV, not detected by the epidemiological surveillance system, so the importance of establishing proactive epidemiological systems more strict, especially because these infections in pregnant women can cause severe health problems for newborn children.
Novel Method for High-Yield Synthesis of Rutile SnO2 Nanorods by Oriented Aggregation

Primary SnO nanoparticles prepared via a solid-state reaction have been used to form oriented chainlike aggregation nanostructures, which can subsequently recrystallize into effective SnO2 nanorods by means of heat treatment in the presence of NaCl. NaCl is critical to not only prevent a drastic increase in the size of the precursors but also provide aqueous and kinetic conditions which are helpful for the oriented growth of the primary nanoparticles. The new method is convenient, inexpensive, and efficient for the preparation of SnO2 nanorods with fairly satisfying uniformity.
Direct Synthesis of Functional Zeolitic Materials

Recently, the direct synthesis of zeolitic materials has received much attention because several well-defined functionalities have been introduced in those materials by “one-pot” methodologies. The rationalization of the physics and chemistry of the processes involved in the zeolite growth has allowed the direct preparation of different functional molecular sieves with unique properties and potential applicability in industry. In the present paper, the “one-pot” preparations of metal-containing zeolites (both in framework and extra-framework positions), hybrid organic-inorganic molecular sieves, hierarchical microporous mesoporous zeotypes, nanosheets, nanozeolites, or template-free molecular sieves are intensively evaluated.
Lactoferrin in the Prevention and Treatment of Intestinal Inflammatory Pathologies Associated with Colorectal Cancer Development

Simple Summary Colorectal cancer is the third most deadly and fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world. Beside incorrect lifestyles, such as smoking or excessive consumption of red meat and alcohol, inflammatory bowel diseases are considered driving factors for colorectal cancer onset and development. It is known that chronic inflammatory processes can lead to both intestinal barrier disruption and perturbation of microbial flora, thus increasing cancer risk. To date, no treatment against these inflammatory pathologies has proved efficient and resolutive. The glycoprotein lactoferrin, a safe supplement for infant and adult foods, is involved in immune defense and endowed with a number of properties, including anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. This review outlines the most recent studies on lactoferrin as a potential candidate in the prevention and treatment of intestinal inflammatory pathologies that are associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer. Abstract The connection between inflammation and cancer is well-established and supported by genetic, pharmacological and epidemiological data. The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, have been described as important promoters for colorectal cancer development. Risk factors include environmental and food-borne mutagens, dysbalance of intestinal microbiome composition and chronic intestinal inflammation, with loss of intestinal epithelial barrier and enhanced cell proliferation rate. Therapies aimed at shutting down mucosal inflammatory response represent the foundation for IBDs treatment. However, when applied for long periods, they can alter the immune system and promote microbiome dysbiosis and carcinogenesis. Therefore, it is imperative to find new safe substances acting as both potent anti-inflammatory and anti-pathogen agents. Lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding glycoprotein essential in innate immunity, is generally recognized as safe and used as food supplement due to its multifunctionality. Lf possesses a wide range of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties against different aseptic and septic inflammatory pathologies, including IBDs. Moreover, Lf exerts anti-adhesive, anti-invasive and anti-survival activities against several microbial pathogens that colonize intestinal mucosa of IBDs patients. This review focuses on those activities of Lf potentially useful for the prevention/treatment of intestinal inflammatory pathologies associated with colorectal cancer development.
Comparison of breast ductal carcinoma in situ and ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion, and analysis of axillary lymph node metastasis

Abstract To compare the clinicopathologic features and long-term outcomes for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) vs DCIS with microinvasion (DCISM), to assess the impact of microinvasion on tumor size and determine relationships between the number of microinvasive lesions and clinicopathological factors. A total of 493 patients with DCIS or DCISM from our database were analyzed to assess differences in clinicopathologic features and outcomes between the 2 cohorts. The median follow-up was 3.9 years, 229 patients had DCIS and 264 had DCISM, and the mean age was 46.8 years for the entire group. A total of 208 patients underwent axillary operation in the DCIS cohort vs 246 in the DCISM cohort, and the number of lymph node metastasis cases was 0 vs 13 for the 2 groups. For the lymph node-positive cases, the proportion of patients with no less than 3 microinvasive legions was 61.5% (8/13), while in the lymph node-negative group, the proportion of patients was 31.1% (78/251) (P < .05). For the DCIS and DCISM groups, the relapse-free survival (RFS) values were 99.0% and 95.4% (P = .034), while the overall survival (OS) values were 96.2% and 99.2% (P = .032), respectively. Our data imply that for breast DCIS patients, axillary lymph node operation can be avoided, but for DCISM patients, surgical evaluation of the axilla is necessary. In addition, having no less than 3 microinvasive lesions in DCISM indicates poor prognosis. In the pathological staging of DCISM, tumor size and number of microinvasive lesions should be considered.
Electrophoretic Deposition of Silicon Carbide

Electrophoretic deposition of silicon carbide (SiC) in ethyl alcohol was studied using the simplest bath formulation allowing the production of acceptable deposits. The object of the study was to explain the role of the different components in the bath, regarding both the dispersion of particles and the deposition mechanism. The elementary bath composition comprised SiC, ethyl alcohol, water, an aluminum salt, and a polymer chemically based on poly(vinyl butyral (PVB). AlCl 3 partly dissociated in the solution, depending on the water content, and absorbed strongly onto the SiC. Adsorption of aluminum species promoted the positive charge and the dispersability of the particles, if some water was present. PVB did not adsorb onto SiC but decreased the sedimentation rate. Particle deposition was bound to the occurrence of an electrolytic reaction. That reaction combined the reduction of water and the formation of Al(OH) 3 , which reduced the surface charge and allowed close contact between particles in the deposit. Excess water, above ∼ 10 wt% of the solution, was harmful because it induced heavy hydrogen bubbling at the electrode and high bath conductivity. The diffusion of ionic species through the deposit controlled the electrolysis and deposition rates. Finally, a range of bath compositions for satisfactory deposition rates was established and explained.
Quantum dots (QDs) immobilization on metal nanowire end-facets for single photon source application

We introduce a fabrication process to immobilize cadmium selenide (CdSe) Quantum Dots (QDs) on end-facets of metal nanowires, which can be possibly used as a cavity-free unidirectional single photon source with high coupling efficiency due to high Purcell factor. Nanowires were fabricated using E-beam lithography, E-beam evaporation, and lift-off process and finally covered with chemically deposited silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer. End-facets of metal nanowires were defined using wet etching process. QD immobilization was accomplished through surface modifications on both metal and QD surfaces. We immobilized thiol (-SH) functionalized 15 base pair (bp) ssDNA on Au nanowire surface to hybridize with its complimentary amine (- NH3) functionalized 15bp ssDNA and conjugated the amine functionalized 15bp ssDNA with QD. Presenting QD immobilization method showed high selectivity between metal nanowire and SiO2 surfaces.