Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ZnO nanoparticles and β-cyclodextrin containing molecularly imprinted polymers for gravimetric sensing of very-low-density lipoprotein

The elevated level of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in the blood is associated with coronary heart disease; therefore, its detection is of significant clinical importance. In this work, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) layers fabricated with ZnO nanoparticles are developed for gravimetric sensing of VLDL. The use of methacrylic acid and β-cyclodextrin as functional co-monomers in an optimized ratio of 1:1 for MIP synthesis controls the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity; thus, yielding highly tailored recognition sites having adequate stability. The as-prepared ZnO nanoparticles are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transformation infrared, and x-ray diffraction before incorporating into the MIP matrix. The template concentration in MIP is also varied to select its optimal amount, i.e. 50 µl of 50 µg ml−1 VLDL solution for enhanced sensor performance. Sensor measurements reveal that the ZnO-MIP has a sensitivity of 19.285 Hz ng−1 ml−1 for VLDL, which is about 16-fold higher than the reference ZnO-non-imprinted polymer channel. Furthermore, the ZnO-MIP sensor exhibits high selectivity for VLDL as the sensor response is 6 and 3 times higher compared to α1-acid glycoprotein and human serum albumin, respectively. Finally, the performance of the developed sensor setup is evaluated for the detection of VLDL in human serum samples indicating its potential for reliable analysis of VLDL in complex biofluids.
Deep iterative reconstruction estimation (DIRE): approximate iterative reconstruction estimation for low dose CT imaging

The image quality in low dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be severely degraded by amplified mottle noise and streak artifacts. Although the iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms bring sound improvements, their high computation cost remains a major inconvenient. In this work, a deep iterative reconstruction estimation (DIRE) strategy is developed to estimate IR images from LDCT analytic reconstructions images. Within this DIRE strategy, a 3D residual convolutional network (3D ResNet) architecture is proposed. Experiments on several simulated and real datasets as well as comparisons with state-of-the-art methods demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective in providing improved LDCT images.
A new approach to endoscopic submucosal tunneling dissection: the “Speedboat-RS2” device

The “Speedboat-RS2” (Creo Medical Ltd., Wales, UK) is the first multimodality device incorporating bipolar radiofrequency (BRF) energy cutting, microwave coagulation (MWC), an integrated needle for submucosal injection, and a rotatable blade with a heat-insulated hull. A 4-cm sessile proximal sigmoid lesion was examined using narrow-band imaging (NBI) and zoom magnification (Olympus Keymed; CF-HQ290ZL) (▶Fig. 1 a, b). A benign surface and vascular pattern (Kudo type IIIL/IV, NICE 2, JNET type 2a) was seen [1–3]. A complete resection was performed, with the patient under conscious sedation, taking 25 minutes (first mucosal incision to last submucosal cut) without recourse to any other accessory instruments. Firstly, a narrow mucosal incision was made at the distal edge of the lesion, followed by progressively deeper submucosal dissection (BRF, cutting frequency 400kHz, power setting 35W). The “Speedboat-RS2” was used to create a submucosal tunnel under the lesion [4, 5]. The novel design provided lateral and/ or forward cutting using the curved tip, flat edges of the blade. The 1:1 rotation of the Speedboat optimised submucosal tension, keeping the insulated hull parallel to the muscle layer. Repeated injections were administered by the retractable needle, after device rotation to allow direct visualisation of the needle exit point. A circumferential mucosal incision was completed to isolate the lesion. An “in-to-out” dissection technique was used to dissect the leftand right-bridged margins in a distal to proximal direction (▶Video1). The specimen was pinned out (▶Fig. 2 a). Haemostasis during the procedure was performed using MWC (frequency 5.8GHz, power setting 10W). Smaller vessels (< 1mm) were pre-coagulated, E-Videos
Colonization of Piriformospora indica enhances insect herbivore resistance of rice plants through jasmonic acid- and antioxidant-mediated defense mechanisms

ABSTRACT Piriformospora indica (P. indica) is a mutualistic endophyte that colonizes plant roots. In this study, effects of P. indica on rice resistance against rice leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guenée) were investigated. Growth inhibition and leaf injury caused by leaffolder larvae infestation in P. indica-colonized rice was significantly alleviated. Moreover, growth retardation was observed in larvae which fed on P. indica-colonized plants. JA-Ile levels and trypsin inhibitor activities in leaf tissues of P. indica-colonized plants were higher than those in noncolonized plants under leaffolder-infested conditions. P. indica effects on increasing trypsin inhibitor expression and reducing larval growth were repressed by aspirin. JA signaling drives P. indica-enhanced insect resistance in rice, and trypsin inhibitors might be candidates involved in this mechanism. Changes in antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde levels in P. indica-inoculated plants were observed, and it was demonstrated that oxidative stress induced by insect infestation could be reduced in P. indica-colonized plants.
A generation and distribution system of clock signal source for signal acquisition system

The clock signal is the heartbeat of modern electronic system, and demands of increasing high‐quality signal has been raised, with the development of science and technology in the field of electronic information. The clock signal with low jitter is helpful to improve the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of sampled data and obtain high‐precision result. In this article, a programmable clock system of signal generation and distribution is designed for high‐speed acquisition system. The system can provide the clock of low jitter which frequency is as high as 3.2 GHz. The output channels for clock are 14 and each channel for clock can also be configured for synchronizing, delay adjusting or calibrating. Based on the system, a new type of configuration program is developed by using Verilog language. It can directly control the chip which has better compatibility in the application scenario of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as the master chip. It also provides a reference and guidance for the design and implementation of the dual‐Phase Locked Loop clock chips. When it provides the clocks for the high‐speed acquisition system, the SNR of the acquisition signal has been significantly improved compared with similar acquisition systems. It indicates that the clock system we designed provides an effective way for the high‐speed acquisition system to obtain the data with higher SNR.
Optical and electrical properties of MoO2 and MoO3 thin films prepared from the chemically driven isothermal close space vapor transport technique

Chemically—driven isothermal close space vapour transport was used to prepare pure MoO2 thin films which were eventually converted to MoO3 by annealing in air. According to temperature-dependent Raman measurements, the MoO2/MoO3 phase transformation was found to occur in the 225 °C–350 °C range while no other phases were detected during the transition. A clear change in composition as well as noticeable modifications of the band gap and the absorption coefficient confirmed the conversion from MoO2 to MoO3. An extensive characterization of these two pure phases was carried out. In particular, a procedure was developed to determine the dispersion relation of the refractive index of MoO2 from the shift of the interference fringes of the used SiO2/Si substrate. The obtained data of the refractive index was corrected taking into account the porosity of the samples calculated from elastic backscattering spectrometry. The Debye temperature and the residual resistivity were extracted from the electrical resistivity temperature dependence using the Bloch–Grüneisen equation. MoO3 converted samples presented a very high resistivity and a typical semiconducting behavior. They also showed intense and broad luminescence spectra composed by several contributions whose temperature behavior was examined. Furthermore, surface photovoltage spectra were taken and their relation with the photoluminescence is discussed.
Designing a Novel Monolayer β-CSe for High Performance Photovoltaic Device: An Isoelectronic Counterpart of Blue Phosphorene

Using the first-principles method, an unmanufactured structure of blue-phosphorus-like monolayer CSe (β-CSe) was predicted to be stable. Slightly anisotropic mechanical characteristics in β-CSe sheet were discovered: it can endure an ultimate stress of 5.6 N/m at 0.1 along an armchair direction, and 5.9 N/m at 0.14 along a zigzag direction. A strain-sensitive transport direction was found in β-CSe, since β-CSe, as an isoelectronic counterpart of blue phosphorene (β-P), also possesses a wide indirect bandgap that is sensitive to the in-plane strain, and its carrier effective mass is strain-dependent. Its indirect bandgap character is robust, except that armchair-dominant strain can drive the indirect-direct transition. We designed a heterojunction by the β-CSe sheet covering α-CSe sheet. The band alignment of the α-CSe/β-CSe interface is a type-II van der Waals p-n heterojunction. An appreciable built-in electric field across the interface, which is caused by the charges transfering from β-CSe slab to α-CSe, renders energy bands bending, and it makes photo-generated carriers spatially well-separated. Accordingly, as a metal-free photocatalyst, α-CSe/β-CSe heterojunction was endued an enhanced solar-driven redox ability for photocatalytic water splitting via lessening the electron-hole-pair recombination. This study provides a fundamental insight regarding the designing of the novel structural phase for high-performance light-emitting devices, and it bodes well for application in photocatalysis.
Racing weight and resistance training: perceptions and practices in trained male cyclists

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study sought to investigate the perceptions and practices of achieving ‘race weight’ in a population of trained male cyclists. A secondary focus was to investigate the use of gym-based strength training, a possible attenuator of the side effects associated with weight reduction. Methods: A total of n = 97 well-trained cyclists ranging from local club level to international standard completed an online survey capturing data on the aforementioned topics. Results: Forty-nine percent of respondents indicated they were unsatisfied with their current bodyweight, with a similar percentage across club, national and international level riders. Riders who identified as climbers had lower reported bodyweight; however, all categories of riders expressed a desire to reduce bodyweight by a similar percentage (1.9%, ± 3.4%; 90% CL). Seventy-seven percent of respondents indicated that they had recently tried or were currently trying to reduce bodyweight, most commonly by reducing food intake and avoiding sugary foods. Nine percent indicated they were using either supplements or medications to lower bodyweight, and 27% reported having sought advice from a health professional. A higher proportion of international riders engaged in strength training (85%), compared to national (50%) and club (55%) riders (p< 0.05). The most cited reasons for not strength training were time constraints and believing it was not beneficial to their cycling performance. Conclusion: These data suggest that trained male cyclists are a highly weight-conscious population who engage in a variety of practices to reduce weight. Practitioners should be aware of these tendencies, as they may carry significant health implications if poorly implemented.
Possibilities for Groundwater Flow Sensing with Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

An understanding of groundwater flow near drinking water extraction wells is crucial when it comes to avoiding well clogging and pollution. A promising new approach to groundwater flow monitoring is the deployment of a network of optical fibers with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. In preparation for a field experiment, a laboratory scale aquifer was constructed to investigate the feasibility of FBG sensors for this application. Multiparameter FBG sensors were able to detect changes in temperature, pressure, and fiber shape with sensitivities influenced by the packaging. The first results showed that, in a simulated environment with a flow velocity of 2.9 m/d, FBG strain effects were more pronounced than initially expected. FBG sensors of a pressure-induced strain implemented in a spatial array could form a multiplexed sensor for the groundwater flow direction and magnitude. Within the scope of this research, key technical specifications of FBG interrogators for groundwater flow sensing were also identified.
Thrombektomie beim Schlaganfall: anästhesiologische Aspekte

Zusammenfassung Der Schlaganfall ist ein fokal-neurologisches Defizit auf dem Boden einer akuten Durchblutungsstörung. Therapieoptionen sind rt-PA-Lyse und neuroradiologische Thrombektomie. Letztere ist in Lokalanästhesie, Analgosedierung oder auch in Vollnarkose möglich. Dabei sollten wichtige (patho)physiologische und pharmakologische Aspekte in die anästhesiologische Versorgung von Schlaganfallpatienten einfließen, um das neurologische Ergebnis zu optimieren.
Postbiotics as Dynamic Biological Molecules for Antimicrobial Activity: A Mini-Review

Postbiotics, products, or metabolites secreted by living probiotic bacteria like teichoic acids, peptides, enzymes, peptidoglycans, polysaccharides, organic acids, and external cell proteins are said to be produced during the bacterial fermentation process. However, postbiotics may provide immunization, antioxidant, prevents inflammation, low cholesterolemic, antimicrobial, antagonistic obesity, contrast hypertensive, and diabetic retinopathy impacts. In the current review, we attempt to display the antimicrobial performance of postbiotics. In this regard, we considered microbial strains used as postbiotic sources and postbiotics as antimicrobial agents in food products. All databases such as Science Direct, Scopus, Pub Med, and Google Scholar were examined using the following keywords: “postbiotics”, “Antimicrobial activity”, “Anti-inflammatory”, and “Low cholesterolemic”. Further studies demonstrated that probiotics are fed special forms of fiber (prebiotic) molecules, indicating substances known as postbiotics. Furthermore, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetate, propionate, and butyrate are among the comprehensively investigated postbiotics. The extraction and purification of these compounds are carried out by means of dialysis, centrifugation, and freeze-drying techniques. According to the gained results, postbiotics assist in improving host health by increasing certain physiological functions. Furthermore, postbiotics can be used to increment the useful lifetime of different foods, like dairy products. It has also been shown that manually adding postbiotics to such products prevents the growth and proliferation of molds and thus the spoilage caused by them. This inhibitory effect indicates the antimicrobial properties of these compounds. Finally, we will see significant advances in the biological preservation of products, especially in the food industry.
Multifunctional 2D CuSe monolayer nanodevice

In a very recent experimental work (Gao et al 2018 Adv. Mater. 30 1707055), a graphene-like CuSe monolayer (ML) was realized. Motivated by this success, we performed first-principles calculations to investigate its electronic transport and photoelectronic properties. We find that the CuSe ML shows a strong electrical anisotropy, and its current–voltage (I–V) curves along the zigzag and armchair directions are noticeably different. The CuSe ML also displays a useful negative differential resistance (NDR) effect along the both directions when the bias is beyond 1.0 V. Moreover, it has a large photon absorption to orange light. Our study suggests that CuSe ML is a multifunctional material and has various potential applications in electrical-anisotropy-based, NDR-based, and even optical nanodevices.
Co‐degradation of interferon signaling factor DDX3 by PB1‐F2 as a basis for high virulence of 1918 pandemic influenza

The multifunctional influenza virus protein PB1‐F2 plays several roles in deregulation of host innate immune responses and is a known immunopathology enhancer of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Here, we show that the 1918 PB1‐F2 protein not only interferes with the mitochondria‐dependent pathway of type I interferon (IFN) signaling, but also acquired a novel IFN antagonist function by targeting the DEAD‐box helicase DDX3, a key downstream mediator in antiviral interferon signaling, toward proteasome‐dependent degradation. Interactome analysis revealed that 1918 PB1‐F2, but not PR8 PB1‐F2, binds to DDX3 and causes its co‐degradation. Consistent with intrinsic protein instability as basis for this gain‐of‐function, internal structural disorder is associated with the unique cytotoxic sequences of the 1918 PB1‐F2 protein. Infusing mice with recombinant DDX3 protein completely rescued them from lethal infection with the 1918 PB1‐F2‐producing virus. Alongside NS1 protein, 1918 PB1‐F2 therefore constitutes a potent IFN antagonist causative for the severe pathogenicity of the 1918 influenza strain. Our identification of molecular determinants of pathogenesis should be useful for the future design of new antiviral strategies against influenza pandemics.
Methyl salicylate delays peel yellowing of 'Zaosu' pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) during storage by regulating chlorophyll metabolism and maintaining chloroplast ultrastructure.

BACKGROUND In some cultivars, yellowing resulting from chlorophyll breakdown has a direct and negative effect on food supply and health. The 'Zaosu' pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.), a commercial Asian pear cultivar in China, rapidly turns yellow when stored at room temperature after harvest. To develop techniques that delay or suppress chlorophyll degradation, the effects of methyl salicylate (MeSA) on yellowing in 'Zaosu' pear fruit during storage were evaluated. RESULTS Compared with the untreated fruit, the application of 0.05 mmol L-1 MeSA delayed the decline of the total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b content, and maintained more intact chloroplasts with fewer and smaller plastoglobuli. Methyl salicylate suppressed enzyme activities, including chlorophyllase, chlorophyll-degrading peroxidase, Mg dechelatase, and pheophytinase, and the expression levels of NYC, NOL, CLH, SGR, PPH, PAO and RCCR in treated fruit. CONCLUSION Methyl salicylate could delay chlorophyll breakdown in the fruit. The results also suggested that the conversion from chlorophyll a to pheophorbide a could proceed via two pathways, and that alternative pathways for the breakdown of chlorophyll a exist in 'Zaosu' pears. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
Accuracy of Customized Prefabricated Screw-Type Immediate Provisional Restorations after Single-Implant Placement

Limited evidence is available comparing the differences between pre-operative and post-operative 3D implant positions from the viewpoint of prosthetics. We aimed to investigate the differences between preplanned positions of virtual provisional restorations and their actual positions following fully guided single-implant placement. Ten maxillary typodonts with missing right central incisors were imaged using cone-beam computed tomography, and digital impressions were obtained using an intraoral scanner. These data were imported into implant-planning software, following which the provisional restorations were designed. After data superimposition, an appropriate implant position was determined, and a computer-assisted implant surgical guide was designed for each typodont. Orders generated from the implant-planning software were imported into relevant computer-aided design software to design the custom abutments. The abutments, provisional restorations, and surgical guides were fabricated, and each restoration was cemented to the corresponding abutments, generating a screw-type immediate provisional restoration. The implants were placed using the surgical guides, and the screw-type provisional restorations were engaged to the implants. The typodonts were then rescanned using the intraoral scanner. The restorations designed at the treatment planning stage were compared with those in the post-operative scan using metrology software. The angular deviation around the central axis of the implant was measured, and the differences in the crown position were converted to root mean square (RMS) values. The post-operative provisional restorations exhibited an absolute angular deviation of 6.94 ± 5.78° and an RMS value of 85.8 ± 20.2 µm when compared with their positions in the pre-operative stage. Within the limitations of the present in vitro study, the results highlight the potential application of customized prefabricated immediate provisional restorations after single-implant placement.
In Vitro Effects on Thrombin of Paris Saponins and In Vivo Hemostatic Activity Evaluation of Paris fargesii var. brevipetala

The resource shortage of Rhizoma Paridis has never been effectively addressed, and the industry continues to search for alternative resources. The in vitro effects on thrombin of Paris saponins and in vivo hemostatic activity of Paris fargesii var. brevipetala (PF) were evaluated in this study. PF is considered to be an alternative source of Rhizoma Paridis (RP). The in vitro incubation experiment was designed to investigate the effects on thrombin activity of Paris saponin H (PS H) and saponin extract in PF. The bleeding time of mouse tail snipping was used to evaluate the in vivo hemostatic effects of Paris saponins. Also, in vivo changes in four blood coagulation parameters in rats after oral administration of different groups of Paris saponins were compared. The effects of Paris saponins on liver function and blood lipid parameters were examined in order to avoid drug-induced liver injury. Activity studies of thrombin after ultra-filtration centrifugation showed that Paris saponins were able to enhance thrombin activity. Ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) analysis results of the substrates led us to speculate that there is a specific binding between Paris saponins and thrombin. PS H and Paris saponins in PF significantly shortened the bleeding time in mice. One pathway by which Paris saponins enhance in vivo blood coagulation is by increasing fibrinogen (FIB), among the four blood coagulation parameters in rats. At the same time, the effects on liver and blood lipid parameters were insignificant. P. fargesii var. brevipetala can be developed as an alternative medicinal source of Rhizoma Paridis.