Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insights into Mechanisms of Damage Recognition and Catalysis by APE1-like Enzymes

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases are the key DNA repair enzymes in the base excision repair (BER) pathway, and are responsible for hydrolyzing phosphodiester bonds on the 5′ side of an AP site. The enzymes can recognize not only AP sites but also some types of damaged bases, such as 1,N6-ethenoadenosine, α-adenosine, and 5,6-dihydrouridine. Here, to elucidate the mechanism underlying such a broad substrate specificity as that of AP endonucleases, we performed a computational study of four homologous APE1-like endonucleases: insect (Drosophila melanogaster) Rrp1, amphibian (Xenopus laevis) APE1 (xAPE1), fish (Danio rerio) APE1 (zAPE1), and human APE1 (hAPE1). The contact between the amino acid residues of the active site of each homologous APE1-like enzyme and the set of damaged DNA substrates was analyzed. A comparison of molecular dynamic simulation data with the known catalytic efficiency of these enzymes allowed us to gain a deep insight into the differences in the efficiency of the cleavage of various damaged nucleotides. The obtained data support that the amino acid residues within the “damage recognition” loop containing residues Asn222–Ala230 significantly affect the catalytic-complex formation. Moreover, every damaged nucleotide has its unique position and a specific set of interactions with the amino acid residues of the active site.
The neo-Schumpeterian approach to innovation and Keynes’s probability: initial explorations

ABSTRACT The aim of the paper is to show that Keynes’s concept of probability can enrich the understanding of the process of the introduction of innovation offered by the Neo- Schumpeterian approach. To deal with uncertainty Neo-Schumpeterians introduce the concept of routines. What is suggested here is that the concepts of Degree of Rational Belief and Weight of Argument, which come from the Keynes theory of probability, when used together with the concept of routines, help understand the rationality of the decision-making process in introduction of an innovation.
Explaining the alienation of megaproject environmental responsibility behavior: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis study in China

PurposeThe alienation of megaproject environmental responsibility (MER) behavior is destructive, but its mechanism has not been clearly depicted. Based on fraud triangle theory and the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method, this study explored the combined effect of antecedent factors on alienation of MER behavior.Design/methodology/approachBased on the fraud triangle theory and literature review, eight influencing factors associated with the alienation of MER behavior were first identified. Subsequently, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was used in this study to reveal configurations influencing alienation of MER behavior.FindingsThe study found nine configurations of MER behavioral alienation antecedent factors, integrated into three types of driving modes, i.e. “economic pressure + learning effect,” “institutional defect + moral rejection,” and “information asymmetry + economic pressure + expectation pressure. ”Originality/valueBy analyzing the configuration effects of various induced conditions, this study puts forward a comprehensive analysis framework to solve the alienation of MER behavior in the megaprojects and a practical strategy to control alienation of MER behavior.
The Mechanism of Chaiyin Particles in the Treatment of COVID-19 Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification

Objective: To explore the potential active components of Chaiyin particles (CYPs) in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their mechanism of action using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Methods: Based on the components of CYPs, we obtained potential targets of the interaction between CYPs and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The potential targets were analyzed by protein–protein interaction, gene ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. The key active components of CYPs were subjected to molecular docking with 3-chymotrypsin-like protease, angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and papain-like protease. The components that may bind to the key target proteins of SARS-CoV-2 were screened to obtain the potential active components, targets and pathways for CYP treatment of COVID-19. The above-described network analysis results were then verified experimentally. Results: CYPs may prevent and treat COVID-19 by inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TNF-α; participating in the AGE-Rage signaling pathway, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, and other anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immune regulatory signaling pathways; and blocking ACE2 via fortunellin and baicalin. Conclusion: This work illustrated that CYPs mainly play an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory role in COVID-19 prevention and treatment. The potential active components and molecular mechanism of CYPs can provide theoretical support and a pharmacological basis for further development and utilization of CYPs in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. These results provide important insights into future studies of Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) modernization and prevention.
GaAs MMICs for an integrated GPS front-end

A complete, integrated GPS (Global Positioning System) front-end comprising five GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) has been designed, fabricated, and tested. Two of these MMICs are described in detail. Both chips represent high level of complexity, combining both low-power RF and digital circuitry. The first MMIC is a low-noise amplifier with two L-band RF inputs and two outputs, with 28 dB gain and 2.7 dB noise figure at 100 degrees C, and less than 200-mW power dissipation. The second MMIC is a dual-input downconverter consisting of a cascade of two RF attenuator/amplifier sections, followed by a mixer, and has approximately 26-dB gain. <<ETX>>
Vision-based inspection of out-of-plane fatigue cracks in steel structures

Fatigue cracks can develop in mechanical, aerospace, and civil engineering structures over time due to repetitive loads. Growing fatigue cracks could reduce the lifespan of the structure and lead to catastrophic collapse. Distortion-induced fatigue cracks are specifically concerning in steel bridges. Computer vision-based crack detection have shown great potential in crack detection for being robust and easy-to-deploy. A vision-based feature point tracking method measures the changes in surface motion to detect fatigue crack and performs well in the presence of other crack like features like corrosion marks, boundaries, etc. When the video is recorded using a moving camera like a handheld camera, unmanned aerial vehicle, and mixed reality headset worn by an inspector, feature point movement contains camera motion as well as the true object motion. To accurately detect cracks, feature point displacement needs to be free from camera motion. Distortion induced fatigue cracks occur in regions with complex geometries like web-gap regions in girder bridges. Due to parallax effects, a single geometric transformation is not enough to compensate the camera motion accurately in videos with such complex geometry. The bundled camera paths approach divides a video into multiple mesh grid cells and estimates motion in each cell individually. These camera paths are then optimized to remove camera jitters and rolling shutter effects producing stable video. However, the global camera motion is still present in the smoothed video. We have extended the bundled camera paths method to remove the global motion from the smoothed video. The proposed approach was successfully tested in a laboratory experiment to compensate camera motion and detect distortion induced fatigue cracks.
Online Resource Management of Heterogeneous Cellular Networks Powered by Grid-Connected Smart Micro Grids

This paper investigates a long-term average total energy cost minimization problem via resource management, including admission control, power allocation, and Energy Sharing (ES) of renewable energy in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks powered by Grid-connected Smart Micro Grids (GSMG-HCNs). In GSMG-HCNs, both renewable and grid energy power the base stations. Unlike existing works, we consider the cost of both renewable and grid energy and formulate the power line loss process caused by ES into our model. To solve the proposed problem, we transform it into a real-time issue by the Lyapunov technique. The proposed Cost-Aware Online Resource Management (CAORM) algorithm decouples the real-time issue into two sub-problems, one of which is linear and the other is addressed based on the successive convex approximation approach. We theoretically prove the asymptotic optimality of the CAORM algorithm and a tradeoff between the average total energy cost and the average queue length. Simulation results reveal that the CAORM algorithm outperforms benchmarks in reducing total energy cost and can make appropriate decisions according to different unit costs of renewable energy. Besides, the designed distance-related ES loss rate can help obtain better solutions with lower ES losses.
Microcontroller Based Stator Resistance Determination of Induction Motor on Temperature Variations

In this paper an experiment has been conducted to determine the online stator winding resistance of an induction motor, in industries as well as domestic purpose induction motors is largely utilized, as it has both applications of variable and constant torque operation nature. The major requirement of an electric drive system is its independent control of torque and speed; this is achieved in DC motor Drive but has more disadvantages. With the help of fast acting switching devices it is possible to independently control an induction motor. To control an induction motor drive various methods are available, direct torque control of induction motor is one of the best method of control compared to other, the only disadvantage is the torque ripple. Stator resistance is one of the parameter for the cause; hence its determination is essential. An experiment is conducted at various loads on an induction motor and then the temperature in the stator winding is noted at different instants using microcontroller, from the tabulated readings stator winding resistance is calculated and compared with the direct measurement by Volt-Ampere method. Further it is suggested that by implementing the actual online value of stator resistance of an induction motor dive torque ripple can be minimized .
Chronic Inflammation in Obesity and Cancer Cachexia

Chronic inflammation has long been linked to obesity and related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. According to current research, the increased risk of cancer in people with certain metabolic diseases may be due to chronic inflammation. Adipocytokines, which are pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted in excess, are elevated in many chronic metabolic diseases. Cytokines and inflammatory mediators, which are not directly linked to DNA, are important in tumorigenesis. Cachexia, a type of metabolic syndrome linked to the disease, is associated with a dysregulation of metabolic pathways. Obesity and cachexia have distinct metabolic characteristics, such as insulin resistance, increased lipolysis, elevated free fatty acids (FFA), and ceramide levels, which are discussed in this section. The goal of this research project is to create a framework for bringing together our knowledge of inflammation-mediated insulin resistance.
Socioeconomic Disadvantage is Associated with Probable Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Sarcopenia is characterized by the accelerated loss of muscle strength, mass, and function in aging. The disease is a major public health issue with emerging evidence of a disproportionate burden in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. To estimate the prevalence of probable sarcopenia overall, and according to Socioeconomic Position (SEP). To explore the association between markers of SEP and probable sarcopenia. Cross-sectional analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing data. England, United Kingdom (UK). This study comprised 6,052 older adult participants from Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) aged 60 years and older. Probable sarcopenia was identified by the EWGSOP2 guidelines as low hand grip strength (females <16kg and males <27kg) or poor chair rise test performance (completion of 5 chair rises >15 seconds). Socioeconomic position was defined by educational attainment and subjective social status (SSS). Weighted multivariable regression analysis was employed to identify determinants of probable sarcopenia. Over one-third of older adults met the criteria for probable sarcopenia (33.7%; weighted, 36.1%) in the study population of mean age 70.7 (SD 7.7) years. When examined by SEP, the prevalence of probable sarcopenia was over 2-fold higher in adults in the most vs the least disadvantaged SEP groups (47.0% vs 20.6%, respectively, p<0.001). Multivariable regression analysis identified disadvantaged SEP, as measured by educational attainment and SSS, as independent predictors of probable sarcopenia, along with older age, physical inactivity, underweight BMI, chronic conditions, osteoarthritis, and minority group ethnicity. Disadvantaged SEP was associated with an increased likelihood of probable sarcopenia when controlled for other known risk factors. The findings suggest a need and opportunity for sarcopenia prevention and treatment strategies to address socioeconomic disadvantage in policies and practice.
Detection of Chronic Blast-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Support Vector Machines

Blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (bmTBI) often leads to long-term sequalae, but diagnostic approaches are lacking due to insufficient knowledge about the predominant pathophysiology. This study aimed to build a diagnostic model for future verification by applying machine-learning based support vector machine (SVM) modeling to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) datasets to elucidate white-matter features that distinguish bmTBI from healthy controls (HC). Twenty subacute/chronic bmTBI and 19 HC combat-deployed personnel underwent DTI. Clinically relevant features for modeling were selected using tract-based analyses that identified group differences throughout white-matter tracts in five DTI metrics to elucidate the pathogenesis of injury. These features were then analyzed using SVM modeling with cross validation. Tract-based analyses revealed abnormally decreased radial diffusivity (RD), increased fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial/radial diffusivity ratio (AD/RD) in the bmTBI group, mostly in anterior tracts (29 features). SVM models showed that FA of the anterior/superior corona radiata and AD/RD of the corpus callosum and anterior limbs of the internal capsule (5 features) best distinguished bmTBI from HCs with 89% accuracy. This is the first application of SVM to identify prominent features of bmTBI solely based on DTI metrics in well-defined tracts, which if successfully validated could promote targeted treatment interventions.
Detection and Analysis of the Infrasonic Waves Attached to the Tragic Explosion of U.S. Space Shuttle “Challenger”

Thirteen hours after the tragic explosion of the U.S. space shuttle “Challenger” at an altitude of 15km on 29th January 1986, a sequence of strong infrasonic waves was received by a set of sensitive microbarographs on the ground level about 14300km distant. These waves, with periods 400–700 seconds, amplitude about 30Pa and propagation velocity about 300m/s are very similar in character to those from nuclear explosions. Based on the analysis of the power spectrum, the main period of the signal can be determined as 537 sec and over 90 per cent of the energy concentrates within the range of 300–1000 sec. According to the theoretical formula for nuclear explosions, the equivalence of this explosion can be estimated from the wave characters as 140 Mt of TNT. This estimation is on the high side, owing to the fact that, compared with nuclear explosions, the altitude at which the explosion has taken place is much higher and the mechanisms of these two explosions are quite different.
Clinical Assessment of Neuroinflammatory Markers and Antioxidants in Neonates with Hyperbilirubinemia and Their Association with Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy

Objective: To assess the oxidant and antioxidant status in neonates with and without hyperbilirubinemia and their association with early manifestations of acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE), in addition to eliciting the possible oxidative effects of phototherapy. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted with 104 full-term newborns at Menoufia University Hospitals from January 2020 to January 2021 to help resolve the debate regarding whether bilirubin is an antioxidant. The cases group (Group I) included 52 full-term newborns (37–40 weeks) with hyperbilirubinemia during the neonatal period, while the control group (Group II) included 52 healthy, full-term age and sex-matched newborns who did not have hyperbilirubinemia. The cases group was further subdivided into Group Ia (n = 12), which included newborns who presented with neurological manifestations suggesting early ABE, and Group Ib (n = 40), which included newborns with no signs suggestive of ABE. All newborns were subjected to clinical and neurological examinations, as well as laboratory investigations. Results: Comparing the specific biological markers between the Group 1 subgroups before phototherapy, the mean plasma levels of prostaglandin-Em, prostaglandin E2, and TSB were significantly higher in Subgroup I(a) (all p < 0.05). After phototherapy, Subgroup I(a) patients had significantly higher levels of prostaglandin-Em, DSB, and TSB (p < 0.05). The biological marker levels improved after phototherapy in terms of TAC (0.811 vs. 0.903), MDA (8.18 vs. 5.13), prostaglandin-Em (37.47 vs. 27.23), prostaglandin E2 (81.09 vs. 31.49), DSB (1.21 vs. 0.55), and TSB (16.63 vs. 8.26; p-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study showed that an elevated level of serum bilirubin increases oxidative stress and decreases antioxidant capacity. The reduction in bilirubin levels by phototherapy is associated with a decrease in oxidative stress markers (MDA, PGEm, and PGE2) and an upsurge in TAC, highlighting the absence of oxidative stress effects arising from phototherapy. Neonates with neurological manifestations suggesting ABE had higher levels of oxidative stress markers and lower levels of total antioxidant capacity than those without.
Reduction of Cd2+ /Ag+ -induced toxicity by 3-mercaptopropionic acid-CdSe/ZnS quantum dots and glutathione-CdSe/ ZnS quantum dots in human liver cancer cells

: In the present study, we investigated the interactions between CdSe / ZnS core / shell quantum dots (QDs) and Cd + 2 and Ag + in HepG2 cells. Two typical QDs, 3-mercaptopropionic acid-CdSe / ZnS QDs (QD-MPA) and glutathione-CdSe / ZnS QDs (QD-GSH) were applied and proved to be stable, as no ﬂuorescence changes and Cd 2 + releasing were detected during 24-h incubation. Both QDs tended to accumulate in HepG2 cells, and signiﬁcantly reduced the harmful effects of Cd 2 + and Ag + . Correspondingly, the intracellular and extracellular concentrations of free metal ions decreased by 2–5 folds due to their adsorption on QDs. On the other hand, both QDs exhibited no signiﬁcant adsorption on cell fragments, suggesting that they accumulated inside cells but not on the membrane. Therefore, they did not hinder the uptake of free Cd 2 + or Ag + . After all, the results revealed that highly stable QDs could extensively reduce the toxicity of heavy metals by absorption of heavy metal ions
Deep submucosal invasion is not an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis in T1 colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Deep submucosal invasion (DSI) is considered a key risk factor for lymph node metastasis (LNM) and important criterion to recommend surgery in T1 colorectal cancer (CRC). However, metastatic risk for DSI is shown to be low in absence of other histological risk factors. This meta-analysis determines the independent risk of DSI for LNM. METHODS Suitable studies were included to establish LNM-risk for DSI in univariable analysis. To assess DSI as independent risk factor, studies were eligible if 1) risk factors (DSI, poor differentiation (PD), lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and/or high-grade tumor budding (TB)) were simultaneously included in multivariable analysis or 2) LNM-rate of DSI was described in absence of PD, LVI and TB. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. RESULTS Sixty-seven studies (21,238 patients) were included. Overall LNM-rate was 11.2% and significantly higher for DSI-positive cancers (OR 2.58;95%CI2.10-3.18). Eight studies (3621 patients) were included in multivariable meta-analysis and did not weigh DSI a significant predictor for LNM (OR 1.73;95%CI0.96-3.12). As opposed to a significant association between LNM and PD (OR 2.14;95%CI 1.39-3.28), TB (OR 2.83;95%CI2.06-3.88) and LVI (OR 3.16;95%CI1.88-5.33). Eight studies (1146 patients) analyzed DSI as solitary risk factor: absolute risk of LNM was 2.6% and pooled incidence rate 2.83 (95%CI1.66-4.78). CONCLUSIONS DSI is not a strong independent predictor for LNM and should be reconsidered as a sole indicator for oncologic surgery. The expanding armamentarium for local excision as first-line treatment prompts serious consideration in amenable cases to tailor T1 CRC management.
Investigating young consumers’ online buying behavior in COVID-19 pandemic: perspective of Bangladesh

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the changing buying behavior of young Bangladeshi consumers in this pandemic situation toward online orientation. The major determinants of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and consumer value theory are used to explore their impact on buying attitudes toward behavior.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a model has been conceptualized to examine the influence of hedonic and utilitarian motivational values along with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on actual buying behavior under pandemic conditions. A structured questionnaire has been prepared for an online survey, and data have been collected from 395 online shoppers. The structural equation modeling technique has been applied to analyze the data using SPSS and SmartPLS 3 software.FindingsThe results of this study support that perceived enjoyment and utilitarian attributes (price, convenience and health aspects) positively affect online buying attitudes along with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Finally, online buying behavior is significantly influenced by the positive attitude of consumers.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study may contribute to developing marketing strategies that may attract buyers toward a new business orientation with prosperous supreme features in the future. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the existing behavioral patterns of consumers and opened a new opportunity for marketers.Practical implicationsYoung consumers are a larger section, and deep knowledge about youngsters may direct marketers toward appropriate use of marketing tools and strategies in the future.Originality/valueThis study integrated the TAM with hedonic and utilitarian motivational predictors to measure their impact on consumers' online buying behavior.