Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase-Mediated Metabolic Utilization of Benzo[a]Pyrene by Aspergillus Species

We are increasingly exposed to environmental pollutants, including the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), which has prompted extensive research into human metabolism of toxicants. However, little is known about metabolic mechanisms employed by fungi that are able to use some toxic pollutants as the substrates for growth, leaving innocuous by-products. This study systemically demonstrates that a common soil-dwelling fungus is able to use benzo[a]pyrene as food, which results in expression and metabolic changes associated with growth and energy generation. Importantly, this study reveals key components of the metabolic utilization of BaP, notably a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and the fungal NF-κB-type transcriptional regulators. Our study advances fundamental knowledge of fungal BaP metabolism and provides novel insight into designing and implementing enhanced bioremediation strategies. ABSTRACT Soil-dwelling fungal species possess the versatile metabolic capability to degrade complex organic compounds that are toxic to humans, yet the mechanisms they employ remain largely unknown. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a pervasive carcinogenic contaminant, posing a significant concern for human health. Here, we report that several Aspergillus species are capable of degrading BaP. Exposing Aspergillus nidulans cells to BaP results in transcriptomic and metabolic changes associated with cellular growth and energy generation, implying that the fungus utilizes BaP as a growth substrate. Importantly, we identify and characterize the conserved bapA gene encoding a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase that is necessary for the metabolic utilization of BaP in Aspergillus. We further demonstrate that the fungal NF-κB-type velvet regulators VeA and VelB are required for proper expression of bapA in response to nutrient limitation and BaP degradation in A. nidulans. Our study illuminates fundamental knowledge of fungal BaP metabolism and provides novel insights into enhancing bioremediation potential. IMPORTANCE We are increasingly exposed to environmental pollutants, including the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), which has prompted extensive research into human metabolism of toxicants. However, little is known about metabolic mechanisms employed by fungi that are able to use some toxic pollutants as the substrates for growth, leaving innocuous by-products. This study systemically demonstrates that a common soil-dwelling fungus is able to use benzo[a]pyrene as food, which results in expression and metabolic changes associated with growth and energy generation. Importantly, this study reveals key components of the metabolic utilization of BaP, notably a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and the fungal NF-κB-type transcriptional regulators. Our study advances fundamental knowledge of fungal BaP metabolism and provides novel insight into designing and implementing enhanced bioremediation strategies.
Adrenal Function in Adolescence is Related to Intrauterine and Postnatal Growth

Background and objectives: Intrauterine growth restriction is thought to be implicated in long-term programming of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity. We investigated adrenal function in adolescents born small for gestational age (SGA) in relation to their postnatal growth and cardiovascular parameters. Materials and Methods: Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, heart rate, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and cortisol levels were assessed in 102 adolescents aged 11–14 years followed from birth (47 SGA and 55 born appropriate for gestational age (AGA)). Results: Mean DHEAS levels were higher in SGA adolescents with catch-up growth (SGACU+), compared with AGA. Second-year height velocity and body mass index (BMI) gain during preschool years were positively related to DHEAS levels. Morning cortisol levels and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in SGA adolescents without catch-up growth (SGACU−) compared with AGA. Second-year BMI gain was inversely, and 2–12 years increase in subscapular skinfold thickness was directly associated with cortisol levels. Size at birth and postnatal growth explained 47.8% and 38.2% of variation in DHEAS and cortisol levels, respectively. Conclusion: Adrenal function in adolescence is affected by prenatal and postnatal growth: small size at birth with postnatal catch-up growth is related to higher DHEAS secretion, whereas increased cortisol levels and blood pressure are higher in short SGA adolescents.
Modeling Random Guessing and Task Difficulty for Truth Inference in Crowdsourcing

This paper addresses the challenge of truth inference in crowdsourcing applications. We propose a generative method that jointly models tasks' difficulties, workers' abilities and guessing behavior to estimate the truths of crowdsourced tasks, which leads to a more accurate estimation on the workers' abilities and tasks' truths. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is more effective for estimating truths of crowdsourced tasks compared with the state-of-art methods.
Twin sisters, monozygotic with the fragile X mutation, but with a different phenotype

The absence of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) results in fragile X syndrome. All males with a full mutation in theFMR1 gene and an inactiveFMR1 gene are mentally retarded while 60% of the females with a full mutation are affected. Here we describe monozygotic twin sisters who both have a full mutation in theirFMR1 gene, one of whom is normal while the other is affected. Using molecular and protein studies it was shown that owing to preferential X inactivation in the affected female a minority of the cells expressed the normalFMR1 gene, while in her sister most cells expressed the normal FMR1 gene. This shows that X inactivation took place in the female twins after separation of the embryos and that for a normal phenotypeFMR1 expression is necessary in the majority of cells.
Face Hallucination Techniques: A Survey

In several real-world scenario, the recorded pictures often have various artifacts suchlike blur, noise, varying illuminations, occlusion, etc. due to many reasons including cheap and low-resolution imaging systems, different image processing errors, and far distance of an object from the camera/sensor. The facial images captured from such low-resolution pictures make severe impacts on the performance of various systems namely human-computer interaction, speaker recognition by mouth movements, visual speech recognition, facial expression recognition, face-recognition, etc. Facial image super-resolution (or hallucination), as one of the kernels innovations in the field of computer vision and image processing, has been an engaging but challenging technique to overcome above problems. This paper provides the comprehensive survey of existing state-of-the-art and recently published face hallucination methods. Along with this, the detailed reconstruction procedure of most successful hallucination approach i.e., position-patch based super-resolution is also provided in this work. Moreover, some useful research directions are too presented at the end which may help the research community of this filed to design and develop the new face hallucination methods for providing the more efficient solution to existing problems.
NAMI-A and KP1019/1339, Two Iconic Ruthenium Anticancer Drug Candidates Face-to-Face: A Case Story in Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry

NAMI-A ((ImH)[trans-RuCl4(dmso-S)(Im)], Im = imidazole) and KP1019/1339 (KP1019 = (IndH)[trans-RuCl4(Ind)2], Ind = indazole; KP1339 = Na[trans-RuCl4(Ind)2]) are two structurally related ruthenium(III) coordination compounds that have attracted a lot of attention in the medicinal inorganic chemistry scientific community as promising anticancer drug candidates. This has led to a considerable amount of studies on their respective chemico-biological features and to the eventual admission of both to clinical trials. The encouraging pharmacological performances qualified KP1019 mainly as a cytotoxic agent for the treatment of platinum-resistant colorectal cancers, whereas the non-cytotoxic NAMI-A has gained the reputation of being a very effective antimetastatic drug. A critical and strictly comparative analysis of the studies conducted so far on NAMI-A and KP1019 allows us to define the state of the art of these experimental ruthenium drugs in terms of the respective pharmacological profiles and potential clinical applications, and to gain some insight into the inherent molecular mechanisms. Despite their evident structural relatedness, deeply distinct biological and pharmacological profiles do emerge. Overall, these two iconic ruthenium complexes form an exemplary and unique case in the field of medicinal inorganic chemistry.
Synthesis of Zeolite Catalyst from Geothermal Solid Waste for Crude Glycerol Dehydration to Acrolein

Limited reserves of conventional fossil fuels have led people to come up with alternative fuels. Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuels that mostly produced nowadays. Glycerol as byproduct of biodiesel production can be converted to acrolein trough dehydration reaction. Acrolein is an important intermediate for the production of chemicals product and also used for agricultures. Application of various catalyst in glycerol dehydration to acrolein has been reported. Zeolite is a micro-porous, alumino-silicate mineral that can be used as catalyst for this reaction. Geothermal solid waste contains silica that can be used as zeolite catalyst raw material. In this research, zeolite catalyst was synthesized from geothermal solid waste in hydrothermal reactor at 150°C for 8 hours. The catalyst product was characterized by EDX and showed that the zeolite catalyst was analcime type. BET characterization showed that this catalyst has mesoporous surface area. Catalyst application on glycerol dehydration was occurred in fixed-bed stainless steel reactor. This process produced liquid product and analysed by FT-IR. The FT-IR result showed that the liquid product contains acrolein. The variation amount of catalyst in dehydration process affect to the glycerol conversion. The increasing of catalyst amount enhanced glycerol conversion.
Estimation of Aerodynamic Forces and Moments on Bridge Decks Based on Two Dimensional Velocity Fields

In order to predict the structural responses under random wind loads to avoid catastrophe failures, structural dynamic analysis is necessary, which requires a reasonable description of wind loads on structures. Based on the equations of fluid mechanics, equations for aerodynamic forces for structures in motion and coefficients of drag, lift and pitching moment for static structures are derived based on two dimensional velocity fields. Since the pressure terms in the equations are eliminated under 2-D velocity assumptions, the equations can be used to obtain the instantaneous aerodynamic forces based on the velocity information along the segments enclosing the bridge deck. In the present study, the divergence theorem is used to convert the control volume integral to the control surface integral. Similarly, the equations for pitching moments are proposed in a similar approach based on the conservation of the momentum moment. This makes it possible to predict the aerodynamic forces and moment for bridge desks of large span bridges, which are more vulnerable to wind induced vibrations. Therefore, the direct relationship between the loads from wind on structures and the velocity field can be founded. Accordingly, the equations for the coefficient of wind forces can be obtained for static bridge decks. In order to validate the equations at a higher Reynolds number (Re), velocity in the wind field around static bridge decks are obtained from both numerical simulations and wind tunnel Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experiments at Re being about 10 4 . Two types of sections including a square cylinder and a twin box girder are used as the prototypes of the bridge decks in the present study. PIV experiments are set up in a wind tunnel and the fluid domain in the numerical simulation is set with the same size of the wind tunnel. Based on the sensitivity analyses, several cases with different sizes of control volumes and space resolutions are used to obtain the wind force coefficient for both of the square cylinder section and the twinbox girder section. Good agreements are found for all the cases for the drag coefficient and acceptable agreements are found for certain cases for the lift coefficient. However, discrepancies are found for some cases for the coefficient of lift and pitch moment. Discussions are made upon the agreements and discrepancies associated with the predicted wind force coefficients. With a
Dual-Loop Control for Synchronous-Conduction-Mode Tapped-Inductor Buck Converter

Tapped-inductor (TI) buck converter is capable of high step-down conversion with extended duty cycle over traditional buck converter. Additionally, its synchronous conduction mode (SCM) can completely eliminate turn-on losses, allowing high switching frequency operation and subsequent high power density. Nevertheless, the converter efficiency under SCM is refrained by circulating current and therefore a dual-loop (DL) control is proposed in this paper. Based on a time-domain model for zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) process, the DL control has a variable-frequency (VF) outer loop to minimize both ripple-current conduction loss and dead-time loss. While the VF loop moderately adjusts switching frequency, an inner voltage-mode-control (VMC) loop regulates output voltage. To verify the idea, a MHz-level, 15-W, DL-controlled TI buck prototype is built. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency-boosting effect of the VF loop especially under light load. Finally, the derived plant model of TI buck converter under VMC is introduced in the paper along with the feedback design for output regulation.
Low-Power Graphene/ZnO Schottky UV Photodiodes with Enhanced Lateral Schottky Barrier Homogeneity

The low-power, high-performance graphene/ZnO Schottky photodiodes were demonstrated through the direct sputter-growth of ZnO onto the thermally-cleaned graphene/SiO2/Si substrate at room temperature. Prior to the growth of ZnO, a thermal treatment of the graphene surface was performed at 280 °C for 10 min in a vacuum to desorb chemical residues that may serve as trap sites at the interface between graphene and ZnO. The device clearly showed a rectifying behavior with the Schottky barrier of ≈0.61 eV and an ideality factor of 1.16. Under UV illumination, the device exhibited the excellent photoresponse characteristics in both forward and reverse bias regions. When illuminating UV light with the optical power density of 0.62 mW/cm2, the device revealed a high on/off current ratio of >103 even at a low bias voltage of 0.1 V. For the transient characteristics upon switching of UV light pulses, the device represented a fast and stable photoresponse (i.e., rise time: 0.16 s, decay time: 0.19 s). From the temperature-dependent current–voltage characteristics, such an outstanding photoresponse characteristic was found to arise from the enhanced Schottky barrier homogeneity via the thermal treatment of the graphene surface. The results suggest that the ZnO/graphene Schottky diode holds promise for the application in high-performance low-power UV photodetectors.
Application of GC/MS-Based Metabonomic Profiling in Studying the Therapeutic Effects of Aconitum carmichaeli with Ampelopsis japonica Extract on Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats

Aconitum carmichaeli with Ampelopsis japonica (AA) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula. There are a lot of examples showing that AA can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but its mechanism of action is still not completely clear. In this research, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was chosen as a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) model. Rats of treated groups were continuously administered Aconitum carmichaeli (AC), Ampelopsis japonica (AJ) and Aconitum carmichaeli + Ampelopsis japonica (AA) orally once a day from the day after the onset of arthritis (day 7) until day 42. The results showed that AA not only significantly reduced paw swelling, but also improved the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum. GC-MS-based urine metabonomics was established to analysis metabolic profiles and 21 biomarkers of RA rats were identified by the Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) methods. The prediction rate of the SVM method for the 21 biomarkers was 100%. Twenty of 21 biomarkers, including D-galactose, inositol and glycerol, gradually returned to normal levels after administration of AA. Metabolomic Pathway Analysis (MetPA) generated three related metabolic pathways—galactose metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism and inositol phosphate metabolism—which explain the mechanism of AA treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This research provides a better understanding of the therapeutic effects and possible therapeutic mechanism of action of a complex TCM (AA) on rheumatoid arthritis.
IoT-Based Degradation Management for Self-Healing Power Converters

In high power applications, medium voltage (MV) power converters have proven to be the best solution for dealing with large amounts of energy, reducing power losses and decreasing costs. The importance of such equipment has placed its service continuity as the most relevant concern for researchers and engineers. In this work an IoT scheme is proposed to remotely manage the remaining useful life of IGBT power modules based on their failure precursors. The proposed structure was designed to permit remote and automatic actuation in the power converter according to the degradation levels of its power devices.
An analysis of electromagnetic forces on cooking vessels used in domestic induction heating appliances oriented to identify the properties of materials

We analyze the forces exerted on the pots used as loads of induction heating appliances. These forces depend on the parameters of the induction heating system and also depend on the arrangement and geometry of the application. Forces can be calculated by means of finite element tools but not straightforwardly because the materials of pot combine both eddy currents and ferromagnetism. For this reason, the Maxwell’s stress tensor is used. The exerted force causes the change of the weight of the pot when power is supplied, with respect to the off state. The change of weight is theoretically analyzed and experimentally measured. As it is also shown, the change of weight is also related with the electromagnetic properties of materials and the operating frequency, and this fact can be used to characterize the induction loads. Calculations are validated by means of an experimental setup arranged by means of load cells.
Estradiol accelerates functional endothelial recovery after arterial injury.

BACKGROUND The mechanisms of the established atheroprotective effects of estrogen have not been entirely clarified. Recent data suggest that agents that hasten the recovery of the endothelium after denuding injury will deter the development of neointimal lesions. Because estrogen has been shown to exert angiogenic effects in vitro and in vivo, we performed a series of experiments to evaluate whether estrogen was capable of accelerating reendothelialization. METHODS AND RESULTS Ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats received estrogen replacement therapy in the form of subcutaneously implanted pellets designed to release 1.5 or 5.0 mg 17 beta-estradiol over 30 days. Deendothelializing balloon injury was performed 1 week after pellet implantation, and animals were euthanatized after 1 week for evaluation of reendothelialization (Evans blue staining) or 2 weeks for evaluation of reendothelialization and neointimal formation. At both time points, the use of estradiol caused a dose-dependent increase in reendothelialization, which was measured as absolute area and percentage of area that is reendothelialized. Estradiol accelerated functional endothelial recovery, manifested as an increase in nitric oxide production. Neointimal thickening was also shown to be inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion. CONCLUSIONS Estrogen accelerates functional endothelial recovery after barotraumatic deendothelializing injury. These findings, along with the recent demonstration of estrogen receptor expression by endothelial cells, suggest that the antiatherogenic action of estrogen may be mediated in part through direct effects on endothelial cells.
Fairness Through the Lens of Proportional Equality

Today, automated algorithms, such as machine learning classifiers, are playing an increasingly pivotal role in important societal decisions such as hiring, loan allocation, and criminal risk assessment. This motivates the need to probe the outcomes of a prediction model for discriminatory traits towards specific groups of individuals. In this context, one of the crucial challenges is to formally define a satisfactory notion of fairness. Our contribution in this paper is to formalize Proportional Equality (PE) as a fairness notion. We additionally show that it is a more appropriate criterion than the existing popular notion called Disparate Impact (DI), which is used for evaluating the fairness of a classifier's outcomes.
Digital Current Control of Electric Arc Furnace by Parallel Modular Three-Phase IGBT Inverters

Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) have been traditionally fed by means of a medium- to low-voltage transformer (between grid and electrodes), where the main control action consists of modifying the electrodes vertical position. This simple and robust arrangement suffers from grid "pollution" and poor current control. Current control of EAF by means of three phase modular inverters is reported here for the first time. Several control issues are analyzed and addressed, ranging from pure control (e.g. addressing load imbalance and limits due to low switching frequency) to system management. Two different current regulation methods are proposed and compared, namely a scalar approach and a vector method using "quasi-zero phase-lag" sampling and gains adaptation. The second technique achieves very good control, leading to lower oversizing of the converter stage and process optimization. Simulations have been performed including digital controller architecture, converters and arc electrical behavior. Preliminary experimental measurements are reported based on an actual plant.
V-SIN: Visual Saliency detection in noisy Images using convolutional neural Network

In the Computer era, the capability of a machine to differentiate salient object from the background has became a critical fact in the domain of Computer Vision. The features in the noisy images get greatly compromised, owing to which the Salient Object Detection (SOD) is difficult. Moreover, the existing research has not yet been matched the performance of humans for detecting the visual saliency in noisy environment. Therefore, this work highlights a novel SOD technique in noisy environment using convolutional neural network (CNN), while the salient object detection accuracy has been well maintained. The denoising of the image is performed using CNN which comprises the coordinate descent as a regularizing function. The performance of our proposed V-SIN technique has been assessed with four evaluation parameters, computing time, recall, precision, and F-measure on two publicly available image datasets. The experimental evaluations on these two dataset shows that the proposed model has been much robust to detect salient object in the presence of noise or mixture of noises in images.