Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biocompatibility of Alginate -Graphene Oxide Film for Tissue Engineering Applications

The present paper indicates promising potential of Sodium Alginate) Alg)/Graphene oxide (Go) films in fields bone tissue engineering (TE). The Sodium Alginate (Alg)/Graphene oxide (Go) films, were fabricated via (solvent casting method). The interaction of Sodium Alginate (Alg) with Graphene oxide (Go) via hydrogen bonding was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The swelling degree of Sodium Alginate (Alg)/Graphene oxid (Go) films was also studied. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of Sodium Alginate (Alg)/Graphene oxide (Go) films disclosed its non-cytotoxic effect on the cell lines (MG-63) in-vitro test, the viability of cell lines on the films, and hence its appropriateness as potent biomaterial for tissue engineering.
Accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for screening to detect major depression: updated systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

Abstract Objective To update a previous individual participant data meta-analysis and determine the accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the most commonly used depression screening tool in general practice, for detecting major depression overall and by study or participant subgroups. Design Systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Data sources Medline, Medline In-Process, and Other Non-Indexed Citations via Ovid, PsycINFO, Web of Science searched through 9 May 2018. Review methods Eligible studies administered the PHQ-9 and classified current major depression status using a validated semistructured diagnostic interview (designed for clinician administration), fully structured interview (designed for lay administration), or the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI; a brief interview designed for lay administration). A bivariate random effects meta-analytic model was used to obtain point and interval estimates of pooled PHQ-9 sensitivity and specificity at cut-off values 5-15, separately, among studies that used semistructured diagnostic interviews (eg, Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), fully structured interviews (eg, Composite International Diagnostic Interview), and the MINI. Meta-regression was used to investigate whether PHQ-9 accuracy correlated with reference standard categories and participant characteristics. Results Data from 44 503 total participants (27 146 additional from the update) were obtained from 100 of 127 eligible studies (42 additional studies; 79% eligible studies; 86% eligible participants). Among studies with a semistructured interview reference standard, pooled PHQ-9 sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval) at the standard cut-off value of ≥10, which maximised combined sensitivity and specificity, were 0.85 (0.79 to 0.89) and 0.85 (0.82 to 0.87), respectively. Specificity was similar across reference standards, but sensitivity in studies with semistructured interviews was 7-24% (median 21%) higher than with fully structured reference standards and 2-14% (median 11%) higher than with the MINI across cut-off values. Across reference standards and cut-off values, specificity was 0-10% (median 3%) higher for men and 0-12 (median 5%) higher for people aged 60 or older. Conclusions Researchers and clinicians could use results to determine outcomes, such as total number of positive screens and false positive screens, at different PHQ-9 cut-off values for different clinical settings using the knowledge translation tool at www.depressionscreening100. com/phq. Study registration PROSPERO CRD42014010673.
On Renting Edge Resources for Service Hosting

The rapid proliferation of shared edge computing platforms has enabled application service providers to deploy a wide variety of services with stringent latency and high bandwidth requirements. A key advantage of these platforms is that they provide pay-as-you-go flexibility by charging clients in proportion to their resource usage through short-term contracts. This affords the client significant cost-saving opportunities by dynamically deciding when to host its service on the platform, depending on the changing intensity of requests. A natural policy for our setting is the Time-To-Live (TTL) policy. We show that TTL performs poorly both in the adversarial arrival setting, i.e., in terms of the competitive ratio, and for i.i. d. stochastic arrivals with low arrival rates, irrespective of the value of the TTL timer. We propose an online policy called RetroRenting (RR) and characterize its performance in terms of the competitive ratio. Our results show that RR overcomes the limitations of TTL. In addition, we provide performance guarantees for RR for i.i. d. stochastic arrival processes coupled with negatively associated rent cost sequences and prove that it compares well with the optimal online policy. Further, we conduct simulations using both synthetic and real-world traces to compare the performance of RR with the optimal offline and online policies. The simulations show that the performance of RR is near optimal for all settings considered. Our results illustrate the universality of RR.
Capillary ionic liquid electrospray: beam compositional analysis by orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Abstract Orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been used to characterize the kinetic energy and charged species distributions from an in vacuo electrospray ion source for four different ionic liquids at volumetric flow rates between 0.3 and 3.3 nanolitres per second. In all cases, the mass spectra revealed charged species consisting of singly charged and multiply charged ions as well as two broad, unresolved droplet distributions occurring in the 104 to 106 atomic mass unit per charge range. The mean jet velocity and mean jet breakup potential were established from analysis of the energy profile of the high mass-to-charge droplets. At the jet breakup point, we find the energy loss and the jet diameter flow rate dependence of the electrospray beam to be similar to that determined by Gamero-Castaño (Phys. Fluids, vol. 20, 2008, 032103; Phys. Rev. Fluids, vol. 8, 2021, 013701) for 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluromethylsulfonyl)imide at similar volumetric flow rates. Similar trends are observed for all four liquids over the flow regime. A jet instability analysis revealed that jet electrification and viscous effects drive the jet breakup from the case of an uncharged, inviscid jet; jet breakup occurs at droplet and jet radius ratios that deviate from 1.89. Using the analytically determined ratio and the beam profile, different species are modelled to reconstruct the mass spectra; primary droplets constitute only a fraction of the total species present. The populations of the species are discussed.
Same educational level, same wage returns? An analysis over time and across occupations in Germany

ABSTRACT Analysing wage differentials due to educational investments within occupations can explain the persistent wage inequality in western industrialised countries, such as Germany. This article contributes to the discussion by examining occupation-specific variance in wage returns for men working full-time in Western Germany between 1976 and 2010. We distinguish between three groups: employees with a vocational education and training (VET) degree with an Abitur (a certificate allowing entrance into a German university), with a VET degree but no Abitur, or with a university degree. First, we theoretically argue why wage returns vary within educational levels across occupations. Second, on the assumption that wage return variance will be greater at higher educational levels, we investigate wage return variance patterns for VET and university graduates over time. Estimating a two-stage multilevel model using the Sample of Integrated Labour Market Biographies (SIAB), we show that holding an Abitur increases wage return variance across occupations. Moreover, we find a significantly higher occupation-specific variance in wage returns to education for university graduates than for VET graduates. For the period under examination, we reveal a fluctuating variance in wage returns for VET graduates and a slightly decreasing variance for university graduates.
Cognitive Dissonance: A Barrier to Effective Management

Abstract Cognitive dissonance is often a barrier to effective management because it can lead library managers to accept a distorted view of “reality” and thus make less effective decisions. This trait is embedded in our genetic heritage from its success in pre-historic times but often causes problems in modern society even if it remains valuable in some situations. Irrational optimism, a common form of cognitive dissonance, invites managers to take greater risks than justified by the facts but can be positive as long as the negative consequences are not high. Similarly, in today’s era of rapid change, a false view of current realities may cause managers to cling to prior successes. Snap judgments are inevitable, but cognitive dissonance often causes managers to avoid changing their minds based on new information. The best antidotes to the negative effects of cognitive dissonance are being open to alternative possibilities, being willing to admit being wrong, seeking out valid research, monitoring the environment for results, and having trusted advisors.
Government Communication during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ghana

ABSTRACT One key approach to managing a pandemic is through effective government communication. How countries have utilized communication strategies during this novel Covid-19 pandemic has not yet been well documented in the literature. Using a qualitative document analysis approach, this paper seeks to answer the question; what communication strategies have been used by the government of Ghana to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic? The study identified that the government of Ghana has been using frequent Presidential Addresses, Minister’s Press Briefings, designated Covid-19 Website, and Social and Traditional Media to communicate to its citizens. We argue that these communication strategies used by the government to “Spread Calm, Not Fear” seems to have had a positive effect on the Covid-19 fight in Ghana. Documenting the experiences of Ghana in the literature will greatly contribute to knowledge especially as Ghana has been one of the highlights in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Abrogating the nsp10–nsp16 switching mechanisms in SARS-CoV-2 by phytochemicals from Withania somnifera: a molecular dynamics study

ABSTRACT The search for therapeutic small molecules and vaccines for Covid-19 treatment is an urgent but evolving topic. The virus has claimed over 3,782,490 lives (as of 12 June 2021), with the figure expected to rise due to the high versatility of the SAR-CoV-2 variant. Therapeutic options based on SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor are essential. Withanolides have a long history in traditional medicines with versatile biological properties including antiviral activities. In this study, the inhibitory potential of withanolides from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) against SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 10 (nsp10) was investigated by employing atomistic in silico methods viz molecular docking, molecular dynamics and binding free energy calculations. Investigated Withania somnifera compounds demonstrated binding affinity to the nsp10 and in its complex form, that is, nsp10-nsp16 heterodimer. Two withanolides; withanoside IV and withanoside V isolated from the roots of Withania somnifera demonstrated strong inhibition with binding free energies of −29.5 and −29.1 kJ/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamics and binding free energy ascertained the stability of withanoside IV. Water molecules, although known to play an important role in mediating biological systems, herein, water was found to have a repulsive binding effect to some residues, suggesting that the binding of withanoside IV would require dewetting of the nsp10 or displacing the water to bulk solvents. Interestingly, residues in the nsp10 that are responsible for forming stable interaction at the nsp10–nsp16 were found to be strongly interacting with withanoside IV, hence weakening the nsp10–nsp16 interaction and recognition. Further in vitro and in vivo experiments are recommended to validate the anti-SARS-COV-2 potential of these phytochemicals.
A trivalent TNF‐R2 as a new tumor necrosis factor alpha‐blocking molecule

The neutralization of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) with biopharmaceuticals is a successful therapy for inflammatory diseases. Currently, one of the main TNFα‐antagonists is Etanercept, a dimeric TNF‐R2 ectodomain. Considering that TNFα and its receptors are homotrimers, we proposed that a trimeric TNF‐R2 ectodomain could be an innovative TNFα‐antagonist. Here, the 3cTNFR2 protein was designed by the fusion of the TNF‐R2 ectodomain with the collagen XV trimerization domain. 3cTNFR2 was produced in HEK293 cells and purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Monomers, dimers, and trimers of 3cTNFR2 were detected. The interaction 3cTNFR2‐TNFα was assessed. By microscale thermophoresis, the KD value for the interaction was 4.17 ± 0.88 nM, and complexes with different molecular weights were detected by size exclusion chromatography‐high performance liquid chromatography. Moreover, 3cTNFR2 neutralized the TNFα‐induced cytotoxicity totally in vitro. Although more studies are required to evaluate the anti‐inflammatory effect, the results suggest that 3cTNFR2 could be a TNFα‐antagonist agent.
Improved Characterization of Balancing Selection Genome Wide and a Detailed Look at HLA Genes

Balancing selection occurs when different evolutionary pressures impact the fitness of multiple alleles, resulting in increased allelic diversity in the population. A new statistical method was developed to test for selection, improving inference by using efficient Bayesian techniques to test for density and strength of linkage disequilibrium. Evolutionary simulation studies showed that the method consistently outperformed existing methods. Using this methodology, we tested for novel signals of balancing selection genome wide in 500 samples from phased trios. Several novel signals of selection appeared in CYP2A7, GPC6, and CNR2 across multiple ancestries. Additionally, tests in SIRPA demonstrate dramatically strong selection signal, significantly higher than previously observed. Well-known signals around olfactory genes and the MHC, containing HLA genes associated with the immune response, also demonstrated strong signatures of selection. So, utilizing data from the 17th IHIW, a follow up analysis was then performed by leveraging over seven thousand HLA typed samples by NGS; in contrast, the genome wide scan did not include a detailed characterization of the HLA genes. The strongest signals observed in the IHIW samples were in DQA1 and DQB1 in or around exon 2–the portion of the gene responsible for antigen presentation and most likely to be under environmental and evolutionary pressure. Our new statistical approach and analysis suggest novel evolutionary pressure in new regions and additionally highlight the importance of improved sequencing and characterization of variation across the extended MHC and other critical regions.
Thermoelastic Properties of (Mg,Fe)SiO 3 Perovskite

Magnesium rich (Mg 1- x ,Fe x perovskite is thought to be the most abundant mineral in the earth's lower mantle between 660 km and 2900 km depth. We discuss (mg,Fe) solid solutions and their elastic properties at lower mantle pressures. The diffrences of the elastic constants between the Mg-endmember and the iron bearing perovskite with x=0.25 are used to predict the compositional contribution to lateral variations of elastic wave-velocities at high pressures. These predictions are compared and discussed in the context of seismic observations.
Genome-wide identification of protein binding sites in mammalian cells

We present GWPBS-Cap, a method to capture genome-wide protein binding sites (PBSs) without using antibodies. Using this technique, we identified many protein binding sites with different binding strengths between proteins and DNA. The PBSs can be useful to predict transcription binding sites and the co-localization of multiple transcription factors in the genome. The results also revealed that active promoters contained more protein binding sites with lower NaCl tolerances. Taken together, GWPBS-Cap can be used to efficiently identify protein binding sites and reveal genome-wide landscape of DNA-protein interactions.
Single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of spinal cord neuron in human

Despite the recognized importance of spinal cord in sensory processing, motor behaviors and/or neural diseases, the underlying neuronal clusters remain elusive. Recently, several studies attempted to define the neuronal types and functional heterogeneity in spinal cord using single cell and/or single-nucleus RNA-sequencing in varied animal models. However, the molecular evidence of neuronal heterogeneity in human spinal cord has not been established yet. Here we sought to classify spinal cord neurons from human donors by high-throughput single-nucleus RNA-sequencing. The functional heterogeneity of identified cell types and signaling pathways that connecting neuronal subtypes were explored. Moreover, we also compared human results with previous single-cell transcriptomic profiles of mouse spinal cord. As a result, we generated the first comprehensive atlas of human spinal cord neurons and defined 18 neuronal clusters. In addition to identification of the new and functionally-distinct neuronal subtypes, our results also provide novel marker genes for previously known neuronal types. The comparation with mouse transcriptomic profiles revealed an overall similarity in the cellular composition of spinal cord between the two species. In summary, these results illustrate the complexity and diversity of neuronal types in human spinal cord and will provide an important resource for future researches to explore the molecular mechanism underlying several spinal cord physiology and diseases.
Fast enzymatic HCO3- dehydration supports photosynthetic water oxidation in Photosystem II from pea

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity, associated with Photosystem II (PSII) from Pisum sativum, has been shown to enhance water oxidation. But, the nature of the CA activity, its origin and role in photochemistry has been under debate, since the rates of CA reactions, measured earlier, were less than the rates of photochemical reactions. Here, we demonstrate high CA activity in PSII from Pisum sativum, measured by HCO3- dehydration at pH 6.5 (i.e. under optimal condition for PSII photochemistry), with kinetic parameters Km of 2.7 mM; Vmax of 2.74·10-2 mM·sec-1; kcat of 1.16·103 sec-1 and kcat/Km of 4.1·105 M-1 sec-1, showing the enzymatic nature of this activity, which kcat exceeds by ∼13 times the rate of PSII, as measured by O2 evolution. The similar dependence of HCO3- dehydration, of the maximal quantum yield of photochemical reactions and of O2 evolution on the ratio of chlorophyll/photochemical reaction center II demonstrate the interconnection of these processes on the electron donor side of PSII. Since the removal of protons is critical for fast water oxidation, and since HCO3- dehydration consumes a proton, we suggest that CA activity, catalyzing very fast removal of protons, supports efficient water oxidation in PSII and, thus, photosynthesis in general.
Single-cell transcription profiles in Bloom syndrome patients link BLM deficiency with altered condensin complex expression signatures

Bloom syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disease clinically characterized by primary microcephaly, growth deficiency, immunodeficiency, and predisposition to cancer. It is mainly caused by biallelic loss-of-function mutations in the BLM gene, which encodes the BLM helicase, acting in DNA replication and repair processes. Here, we describe the gene expression profiles of three BS fibroblast cell lines harboring causative, biallelic truncating mutations obtained by single-cell (sc) transcriptome analysis. We compared the scRNA transcription profiles from three BS patient cell lines to two age-matched wild-type controls and observed specific deregulation of gene sets related to the molecular processes characteristically affected in BS, such as mitosis, chromosome segregation, cell cycle regulation, and genomic instability. We also found specific upregulation of genes of the Fanconi anemia pathway, in particular FANCM, FANCD2, and FANCI, which encode known interaction partners of BLM. The significant deregulation of genes associated with inherited forms of primary microcephaly observed in our study might explain in part the molecular pathogenesis of microcephaly in BS, one of the main clinical characteristics in patients. Finally, our data provide first evidence of a novel link between BLM dysfunction and transcriptional changes in condensin complex I and II genes. Overall, our study provides novel insights into gene expression profiles in BS on a single-cell level, linking specific genes and pathways to BLM dysfunction.
A novel locally c-di-GMP-controlled exopolysaccharide synthase required for N4 phage infection of E. coli

A major target of c-di-GMP signaling is the production of biofilm-associated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which in Escherichia coli K-12 include amyloid curli fibres, phosphoethanolamine-modified (pEtN-)cellulose and poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine (PGA). However, the characterized c-di-GMP-binding effector systems are largely outnumbered by the 12 diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) and 13 phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which synthetize and degrade c-di-GMP, respectively. E. coli possesses a single protein with a potentially c-di-GMP-binding MshEN domain, NfrB, which – together with the outer membrane protein NfrA – is known to serve as a receptor system for phage N4. Here, we show that NfrB not only binds c-di-GMP with high affinity, but as a novel c-di-GMP-controlled glycosyltransferase synthesizes a secreted EPS, which can impede motility and is required as an initial receptor for phage N4 infection. In addition, a systematic screening of the 12 DGCs of E. coli K-12 revealed that specifically DgcJ is required for the infection with phage N4 and interacts directly with NfrB. This is in line with local signaling models, where specific DGCs and/or PDEs form protein complexes with particular c-di-GMP effector/target systems. Our findings thus provide further evidence that intracellular signaling pathways, which all use the same diffusible second messenger, can act in parallel in a highly specific manner. Importance Key findings in model organisms led to the concept of ‘local’ signaling, challenging the dogma of a gradually increasing global intracellular c-di-GMP concentration driving the motile-sessile transition in bacteria. In our current model, bacteria dynamically combine global as well as local signaling modes, in which specific DGCs and/or PDEs team up with effector/target systems in multiprotein complexes. Our present study highlights a novel example of how specificity in c-di-GMP signaling can be achieved by showing NfrB as a novel c-di-GMP binding effector in E. coli, which is controlled in a local manner specifically by DgcJ. We further show that NfrB (which was initially found as a part of a receptor system for phage N4) is involved in the production of a novel exopolysaccharide. Finally, our data shine new light on host interaction of phage N4, which uses this exopolysaccharide as an initial receptor for adsorption.