Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin Immuno-CometChip in 3D vs. 2D Cultures to Screen Topical Toxins and Skin-Specific Cytochrome Inducers

The targets of topical genotoxic agents are basal and stem cells of the skin. These cells may misrepair DNA lesions, resulting in deleterious mutations of tumor suppressors or oncogenes. However, the genotoxicity of many compounds has not as yet been determined and needs to be tested using a relevant skin model. To this end, we designed a new high-throughput assay for the detection of agents that create DNA damage in epidermal stem and basal cells and used it to test known DNA-damaging agents. We utilized either 2D epidermal cells or 3D skin equivalents and topically exposed them to different compounds. The Skin Immuno-CometChip assay uses arrays of microwells formed in a collagen/agarose mixture to capture single basal cells in each microwell by virtue of collagen binding to α2β1 integrin, which is present only on basal and stem cells. The presence of β1 integrin was verified by immunofluorescent labeling cells that were then subjected to an electrical field, allowing for the migration of nicked DNA out of the nucleoid in alkali, with the resulting DNA comets stained and imaged. Furthermore, using improved comet detection software allowed for the automated and rapid quantification of DNA damage. Our study indicates that we can accurately predict genotoxicity by using 3D skin cultures, as well as keratinocytes grown in 2D monolayers.
Proteome Analysis of Nicotiana tabacum Cells following Isonitrosoacetophenone Treatment Reveals Defence-Related Responses Associated with Priming

Proteins play an essential regulatory role in the innate immune response of host plants following elicitation by either biotic or abiotic stresses. Isonitrosoacetophenone (INAP), an unusual oxime-containing stress metabolite, has been investigated as a chemical inducer of plant defence responses. Both transcriptomic and metabolomic studies of various INAP-treated plant systems have provided substantial insight into this compound’s defence-inducing and priming capabilities. To complement previous ‘omics’ work in this regard, a proteomic approach of time-dependent responses to INAP was followed. As such, Nicotiana tabacum (N. tabacum) cell suspensions were induced with INAP and changes monitored over a 24-h period. Protein isolation and proteome analysis at 0, 8, 16 and 24 h post-treatment were performed using two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by the gel-free eight-plex isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) based on liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Of the identified differentially abundant proteins, 125 were determined to be significant and further investigated. INAP treatment elicited changes to the proteome that affected proteins from a wide range of functional categories: defence, biosynthesis, transport, DNA and transcription, metabolism and energy, translation and signalling and response regulation. The possible roles of the differentially synthesised proteins in these functional classes are discussed. Results indicate up-regulated defence-related activity within the investigated time period, further highlighting a role for proteomic changes in priming as induced by INAP treatment.
Highly-Efficient CNTFET-Based Unbalanced Ternary Logic Gates

A large number of interconnections required to implement a binary logic-based circuit leads to an increase in power/energy consumption and area overhead. Utilizing multiple-valued logic (MVL), especially ternary logic, can improve power/energy and total area by reducing the number of interconnections. A ternary logic-based circuit is easily implemented by using carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) because they have the capability of manifesting different threshold voltages. We used CNTFET devices for the design and implementation of highly-efficient ternary logic gates such as the standard ternary inverter (STI), ternary buffer (TBUF), ternary OR (TOR), and ternary AND (TAND). The proposed STI design offers improvement between 12% and 91.17% in energy consumption and increases noise margin by at least 1.02×, while the proposed TBUF design reduces energy consumption by 14.73-96.82%. Furthermore, the proposed TOR design reduced power dissipation and energy consumption by at least 72.62% and 84.80%, while the proposed TAND design improved them by at least 8.55% and 11.38%, respectively. The simulations have been performed by using HSPICE software with the Stanford 32 nm CNTFET model at 0.9 V supply voltage.
Hunter territoriality creates refuges for threatened primates

Summary Unsustainable hunting threatens biodiversity in the tropics through the removal of key seed-dispersing frugivorous primates. Traditionally, hunting in the Amazon Basin was managed through hunter territoriality, with the threat of social sanctions for overexploitation. We examined hunter territoriality and differential prey selection as alternative hypotheses to central-place foraging. Territoriality occurred beyond common hunting grounds, which were on major rivers and immediately surrounding the community. Hunters displayed selectivity in prey choice, with 50% of hunters not hunting primates. The combination of hunter territoriality and differential prey selection means that over 22% of the hunted area of the Sucusari river basin could be considered primate refuge. Of the remaining hunted area, 16% was hunted relatively little by primate hunters. We suggest that the combination of territoriality and selection against primates creates refuges, mitigating the effects of sustained hunting pressure and contributing to the conservation of these species.
Radiation effect on heat transfer over a stretching surface

We determine the effect of radiation on the forced convection flow of an optically dense incompressible fluid along a heated horizontal stretching surface. The boundary-layer equations are transformed to ordinary differential equations containing a radiation parameter R*, velocity exponent parameter M, Prandtl number P r, and surface temperature parameter θ ω. The effect of these parameters are studied. Graphical results for the velocity and temperature are presented and discussed. PACS Nos.: 44.40+a, 47.27-i
Coded overlapped quadrature modulation

A coding method using sequence coding and overlapping quadrature pulses to improve error performance and spectral efficiency is presented. It is introduced as an extension of trellis coded modulation (TCM) and achieves its bandwidth efficiency not by signal space coding in an expanded signal set, but by increasing signaling speed via pulse overlapping. Results are presented for overlapped coded quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) signaling, and it is shown that for time-raised cosine quadrature pulses, power and spectral efficiencies rivaling those attainable by coded Nyquist signalling are achieved. The new codes are easily generated using tables of optimum convolutional codes. <<ETX>>
Vulnerable Plaque Characteristics at Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

According to morbidity and mortality indicators, cardiovascular diseases are the leading public health issue in the Republic of Croatia and the European Union. Although mortality rates from ischemic disease have been reduced, Croatia is still categorized among countries with high cardiovascular risk. The guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology from 2020 for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with low to intermediate risk of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD) recommend coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) as an alternative to invasive coronarography. In most patients with suspicion of CHD, CCTA leads to the diagnosis of non-obstructive diseases, which causes the majority of ACS cases. Multi-slice Computed Tomography scanners of the newest generation employ low doses of radiation and low contrast volume to reliably show the characteristics of vulnerable plaque: (i) positive remodeling, (ii) low attenuation plaque, (iii) spotty calcifi cation, and the (iv) napkin-ring sign. Due to positive remodeling, these plaques are often non-obstructive, and according to the CAD-RADS 2.0 guidelines from 2022 all their characteristics should be specifi cally emphasized in CCTA fi ndings. Based on the assessment of the prognostic value of vulnerable plaque characteristics for adverse cardiac events, CCTA has been shown to be equally valid as other invasive diagnostic methods. Additionally, it was shown to be useful in indicating the optimal medication therapy and monitoring its eff ects. The results of large international randomized trials indicate the direction of the treatment approach for vulnerable plaque.
The stability of inviscid flows over passive compliant walls

The linear temporal stability of incompressible semi-bounded inviscid parallel flows over passive compliant walls is studied. It is shown that some of the well-known classical results for inviscid parallel flows with rigid boundaries can, in fact, be extended in modified form to passive compliant walls. These include a result of Rayleigh (1880) which shows that the real part of the phase velocity of a non-neutral disturbance must lie within the range of the velocity distribution; the semi-circle theorem of Howard (1961) and a result of Høiland (1953) which places a bound on the temporal amplification rates of unstable disturbances. The bounds on the phase velocity and the temporal amplification rates of unstable two-dimensional disturbances provide useful guides for numerical studies. The results are valid for a large class of passive compliant walls. This generality is achieved through a variational-Lagrangian formulation of the essential dynamics of wall motion. A general treatment of the marginal stability of thin shear flows over general passive compliant walls is given. It represents a generalization of the analysis given by Benjamin (1963) for membrane and plate surfaces. Sufficient conditions for the stability of thin shear flows over passive compliant walls are deduced. The applications of the stability criteria to simple cases of compliant wall are described to illustrate the use and the effectiveness of these criteria.
3.5 W frequency-doubled fiber-based laser source at 772 nm

A 3.5 W fiber-based laser source at 772 nm is demonstrated by using quasiphase-matched second-harmonic generation of a 40 dBm seeded ytterbium–erbium fiber amplifier in PPKTP. A 40% conversion efficiency is achieved across the entire output power range of the EDFA. No optical damage has been observed in the PPKTP over long-term high-power exposure.
ON APPROXIMATING THE MOMENTS OF THE EQUILIBRIUM DISTRIBUTION OF A STOCHASTIC LOGISTIC MODEL

The classical Verhulst-Pearl logistic equation is a widely used deterministic population growth model. Bartlett, Gower, and Leslie (1960, Biometrika 47, 1-11) develop an analogous stochastic logistic model. They obtain the equilibrium distribution of the population size numerically, and derive elegant approximations for the mean, variance, and skewness of this equilibrium distribution for the model. This paper derives new approximations for these moments. The approximations are simple analytical expressions and in general are more accurate than the Bartlett et al. approximations. The approximations are illustrated with a growth model for Africanized honey bee populations and also with well-known examples in the literature.
Pedestrian Crossing Intention Forecasting at Unsignalized Intersections Using Naturalistic Trajectories

Interacting with other roads users is a challenge for an autonomous vehicle, particularly in urban areas. Existing vehicle systems behave in a reactive manner, warning the driver or applying the brakes when the pedestrian is already in front of the vehicle. The ability to anticipate a pedestrian’s crossing intention ahead of time will result in safer roads and smoother vehicle maneuvers. The problem of crossing intent forecasting at intersections is formulated in this paper as a classification task. A model that predicts pedestrian crossing behaviour at different locations around an urban intersection is proposed. The model not only provides a classification label (e.g., crossing, not-crossing), but a quantitative confidence level (i.e., probability). The training and evaluation are carried out using naturalistic trajectories provided by a publicly available dataset recorded from a drone. Results show that the model is able to predict crossing intention within a 3-s time window.
Multifunctional Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Filled Polydopamine Hollow Rods for Antibacterial Biofilm Treatment

This work reports the use of mesoporous silica rods as templates for the step-wise preparation of multifunctional Fe3O4 NPs filled polydopamine hollow rods (Fe3O4@PDA HR). The capacity of as-synthesized Fe3O4@PDA HR as a new drug carrier platform was assessed by its loading and the triggered release of fosfomycin under various stimulations. It was found that the release of fosfomycin was pH dependent with ~89% of fosfomycin being released in pH 5 after 24 h, which was 2-fold higher than that in pH 7. The magnetic properties of Fe3O4 NPs and the photothermal properties of PDA enabled the triggered release of fosfomycin upon the exposure to rotational magnetic field, or NIR laser irradiation. Additionally, the capability of using multifunctional Fe3O4@PDA HR to eliminate preformed bacterial biofilm was demonstrated. Upon exposure to the rotational magnetic field, the biomass of a preformed biofilm was significantly reduced by 65.3% after a 20 min treatment with Fe3O4@PDA HR. Again, due to the excellent photothermal properties of PDA, a dramatic biomass decline (72.5%) was achieved after 10 min of laser exposure. This study offers an alternative approach of using drug carrier platform as a physical mean to kill pathogenic bacteria along with its traditional use for drug delivery.
Effectiveness and Heterogeneous Effects of Purchase Grants for Electric Vehicles

We evaluate German purchase subsidies for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) using data on new vehicle registrations in Germany during 2015-2022. We account for confounding time trends and interacting EU-level CO 2 standards using neighboring countries as a control group. The program was cost-ineffective, as only 40% of BEV and 25% of PHEV registrations were subsidy-induced, and had strong distributional effects, with greater uptake in wealthier and greener counties. The implied abatement cost of 870 euro per ton of CO 2 for BEVs and 2,470 euro for PHEVs suggests that subsidies to PHEVs were especially cost-ineffective.
A mathematical model development to investigate the impact of key parameters on the generated voltage hysteresis of silicon anode based lithium half cells

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in various energy storage systems. In this article, a physics-based mathematical model of silicon micro-particle (SiMP) anode is developed to identify the principal reasons of voltage hysteresis occurrence during lithiation and delithiation battery cycling of silicon (Si) anode-based lithium half cells. Firstly, lithium diffusion, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics and mechanical stress and strain are selected, and relevant mathematical equations are developed. To examine the impact of hydrostatic stresses on electrochemical reactions in battery electrodes, a modified version of Butler-Volmer (BV) kinetics equation including hydrostatic stress induced voltage term is implemented. For model development, essential parameters are identified and sensitivity analysis is conducted to figure out the best fitted parametric values. Finally, a physics-based mathematical model is developed to investigate the impact of key parameters on generated voltage hysteresis of the SiMP half cells. Using this mathematical model, voltage curves are generated and fitted with the experimental results. In addition, the model is used to identify performance limitations. By examining the influence of the key parameters on the voltage curves during battery cycling, the model exhibits the principal causes of voltage differences during lithiation and delithiation. The detail of this article will provide more crucial information.
Diagnosis and prognosis prediction model for digestive system tumors based on immunologic gene sets

According to 2020 global cancer statistics, digestive system tumors (DST) are ranked first in both incidence and mortality. This study systematically investigated the immunologic gene set (IGS) to discover effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Gene set variation (GSVA) analysis was used to calculate enrichment scores for 4,872 IGSs in patients with digestive system tumors. Using the machine learning algorithm XGBoost to build a classifier that distinguishes between normal samples and cancer samples, it shows high specificity and sensitivity on both the validation set and the overall dataset (area under the receptor operating characteristic curve [AUC]: validation set = 0.993, overall dataset = 0.999). IGS-based digestive system tumor subtypes (IGTS) were constructed using a consistent clustering approach. A risk prediction model was developed using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method. DST is divided into three subtypes: subtype 1 has the best prognosis, subtype 3 is the second, and subtype 2 is the worst. The prognosis model constructed using nine gene sets can effectively predict prognosis. Prognostic models were significantly associated with tumor mutational burden (TMB), tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), immune checkpoints, and somatic mutations. A composite nomogram was constructed based on the risk score and the patient’s clinical information, with a well-fitted calibration curve (AUC = 0.762). We further confirmed the reliability and validity of the diagnostic and prognostic models using other cohorts from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We identified diagnostic and prognostic models based on IGS that provide a strong basis for early diagnosis and effective treatment of digestive system tumors.
Spectral beam combining of quantum cascade lasers in an external cavity

In this contribution, we demonstrate that spectral beam combining in an external cavity (EC), a technique which has been applied previously to shorter wavelength diode laser bars [1], is also applicable to mid-infrared QC lasers. Within this concept, the output of multiple emitters from a 4.6 μm emitting QC laser chip is combined in a single, collinear beam. The average power of an EC-QC laser module realized that way surpasses the output of a corresponding single emitter by more than a factor of 4. Furthermore, the EC-concept allows a certain degree of wavelength tuning during operation. The EC, consisting of a collimating lens, a grating and a partially reflecting outcoupling mirror, forces each laser to emit at a unique wavelength defined by its offset relative to the main optical axis. The EC approach further ensures the collinear directional and spatial overlap of the individual QC laser output beams forming a single combined output beam.
Optimal rotary control of the cylinder wake using proper orthogonal decomposition reduced-order model

In this paper we investigate the optimal control approach for the active control and drag optimization of incompressible viscous flow past circular cylinders. The control function is the time angular velocity of the rotating cylinder. The wake flow is solved in the laminar regime Re=200 with a finite-element method. Due to the CPU and memory costs related to the optimal control theory, a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) reduced-order model (ROM) is used as the state equation. The key enablers to an accurate and robust POD ROM are the introduction of a time-dependent eddy-viscosity estimated for each POD mode as the solution of an auxiliary optimization problem and the use of a snapshot ensemble for POD based on chirp-forced transients. Since the POD basis represents only velocities, we minimize a drag-related cost functional characteristic of the wake unsteadiness. The optimization problem is solved using Lagrange multipliers to enforce the constraints. 25% of relative drag reduction is found when the Navier-Stokes equations are controlled using a harmonic control function deduced from the optimal solution determined with the POD ROM. Earlier numerical studies concerning mean drag reduction are confirmed: it is shown, in particular, that without a sufficient penalization of the control input, our approach is energetically inefficient. The main result is that cost-reduction factors of 100 and 760 are obtained for the CPU time and the memory, respectively. Finally, limits of the performance of our approach are discussed.
sRNA expedites polycistronic mRNA decay in Escherichia coli

In bacteria, most small RNA (sRNA) elicits RNase E-mediated target mRNA degradation by binding near the translation initiation site at the 5′ end of the target mRNA. Spot 42 is an sRNA that binds in the middle of the gal operon near the translation initiation site of galK, the third gene of four, but it is not clear whether this binding causes degradation of gal mRNA. In this study, we measured the decay rate of gal mRNA using Northern blot and found that Spot 42 binding caused degradation of only a specific group of gal mRNA that shares their 3′ end with full-length mRNA. The results showed that in the MG1655Δspf strain in which the Spot 42 gene was removed, the half-life of each gal mRNA in the group increased by about 200% compared to the wild type. Since these mRNA species are intermediate mRNA molecules created by the decay process of the full-length gal mRNA, these results suggest that sRNA accelerates the mRNA decaying processes that normally operate, thus revealing an unprecedented role of sRNA in mRNA biology.
Aircraft observations of rain and drizzle from layer clouds

Aircraft observations of droplets greater than 100 μ diameter in 20 low layer clouds indicate that these drops can occur in concentrations of approximately 0·1 per litre to 10 per litre in clouds of 1,000 ft (300 m) to 7,000 ft (2,100 m) thickness. These observations are presented together with data relating the thickness and height of a further 120 layers of low cloud to their ability to produce precipitation at the ground. A diagram is shown which, it is suggested, might be of use as an objective aid for forecasting the occurrence of precipitation from low-layer cloud. The results are discussed qualitatively in terms of the condensation-coalescence mechanism of droplet growth and demonstrate the efficiency of layer clouds as producers of large drops (and consequently precipitation). There is evidence that, for the range of cloud depths considered, coalescence is the predominant mechanism for drop growth for temperatures down to – 11°C to – 12°C.