Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction and Application of a Plasmid-Based Signal Peptide Library for Improved Secretion of Recombinant Proteins with Priestia megaterium

The secretion of recombinant proteins plays an important role in their economic production and purification. The secretion efficiency depends on the responsible signal peptide (SP) in combination with the target protein and the given host and cannot be predicted so far. Due to its high plasmid stability, the lack of alkaline extracellular proteases and only few contaminating extracellular host proteins, Priestia megaterium provides a promising alternative to common Bacillus species. For the development of an easy and fast cloning and screening system to identify the SP best suited to a distinct protein, a plasmid-based SP library containing all predicted 182 Sec-dependent SPs from P. megaterium was established. The splitting of the SPs into 10 groups of individual multi-SP plasmids (pMSPs) allows their grouped amplification and application in screening approaches. The functionality of the whole library was demonstrated by enhancing the amount of the already well-secreted α-amylase AmyE by 1.6-fold. The secretion of a novel penicillin G acylase, which remained as insoluble protein inside the cells, as its native SP is unsuitable for secretion in P. megaterium, could be enhanced even up to 29-fold. Overall, only around 170 recombinant P. megaterium clones based on 50 inserted SPs had to be screened to achieve sufficient amounts for further enzyme characterizations. Thus, this newly developed plasmid-based genetic tool applicable for P. megaterium and also other Bacillus species facilitates the identification of suitable SPs for secretion of recombinant proteins.
Helical tomotherapy for asymptomatic chemotherapy-refractory or -unfit multiple (3 or more) metastases

Background Despite chemotherapy innovations, prognosis of patients with chemotherapy-refractory or -unfit multiple metastases (CRMM/CUMM) remains poor. In this prospective study, the efficacy and toxicity of helical tomotherapy for CRMM/CUMM were evaluated. Materials and methods Between 2014 and 2020, asymptomatic patients with CRMM/CUMM with ≥ 3 lesions and no prior radiotherapy of the targets were enrolled. Patients who had intolerable toxicities to chemotherapy and those who refused chemotherapy were included in the CRMM and CUMM groups, respectively. Prostate cancer patients and patients with metastases mainly localized in the liver, lung, or brain were excluded. By helical tomotherapy, up to 10 lesions per patient were irradiated in order of volume. The standard dose was 50–60 Gy in 25–30 fractions. Results Forty-five patients (median age, 63 years; 35 CRMM/10 CUMM) were enrolled. Primary tumors included lung, gynecological, and gastrointestinal cancers. The most frequently treated targets were lymph node metastases, followed by peritoneal/pleural disseminations and bone tumors. The 1-year survival rate was 51% (median, 12.5 months). In the 35 patients with CRMM, the median survival time was 12.5 months, and the median pre-radiation chemotherapy period was 8.8 months (p > 0.05). The 6-month target control rate was 78%. Acute adverse events (grade ≥ 2) occurred in 33 patients: hematologic toxicities in 23, dermatitis in 6, and others in 8. Late grade ≥ 2 toxicities occurred in 6 patients: pneumonitis in 4 and gastric hemorrhage in 2. Conclusion Tomotherapy for CRMM/CUMM resulted in median survival times > 1 year. This treatment should be investigated further in larger prospective studies.
Mitigation of voltage dips through distributed generation systems

Voltage dips are often responsible for disrupting the operation of sensitive electronic equipment. In this paper, two solutions are presented to prevent sensitive equipment from disruptive operation. Both solutions make use of distributed generation systems to maintain the voltage across the equipment in the presence of voltage dips. The emphasis of this paper is on the transient response of both solutions to balanced as well as unbalanced voltage dips. Simulations have been carried out to provide a thorough analysis.
Maintaining oral health for a hundred years and more? - An analysis of microbial and salivary factors in a cohort of centenarians

ABSTRACT Aim To investigate associations between oral health-related conditions and the oral microbiome in a representative study sample of centenarians. Materials and methods Clinical and microbial parameters from 54 centenarians were assessed in the Heidelberg Dental Centenarian Study. Plaque and salivary samples were collected, and the microbiota was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results Diversity and structure of the oral microbiome were mainly influenced by the presence of natural teeth and the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (0.028 ≤ p ≤ 0.001 in plaque and salivary samples). Centenarians with less caries experience possessed a more diverse oral microbiome. Moreover, the number of dental visits also showed a significant influence on the microbial composition. Most centenarians presented with hyposalivation (mean stimulated flow rate = 0.84 ± 0.55 ml/min), a low buffering capacity, and an acidic pH. The latter was between 5.0 and 5.8 in 46.3% of cases, and we observed that an increased salivary pH correlated with higher alpha-diversity in both salivary and plaque samples. Conclusion The microbiome diversity correlated significantly with successful oral aging. In addition, regular dental visits were a beneficial factor. However, diversity can be negatively influenced by hyposalivation, associated with pH changes due to aging effects.
EMPATI PADA PELAKU BULLYING DI SEKOLAH DASAR

The bully has a lack of empathy or in other words the bully cannot react to other people's feelings with the same emotional response that other people feel. Researchers want to see the empathy abilities by the bully in elementary schools. The research method used is a quantitative method with descriptive analysis. In measuring empathy using an empathy scale based on the empathy proposed by Davis (1983). Researchers provide an empathy scale to reveal responses to aspects of perspective taking, fantasy, empathic concern, and personal distress. Based on the results of research conducted, 60% of bullying actors have a moderate level of empathy. In this case, it is necessary to improve the bullying's empathy so that bullying behavior can be minimized or avoided.
High-reliability InGaP/GaAs HBTs fabricated by self-aligned process

We report the achievement of high-reliability self-aligned InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) with an activation energy of 2.0 eV and a time to failure of 10/sup 6/ hours at a junction temperature of 200/spl deg/C. The reliability level is comparable to other devices in practical use. We also show a possible degradation mechanism of AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs. <<ETX>>
Muscle Damage in Dystrophic mdx Mice Is Influenced by the Activity of Ca2+-Activated KCa3.1 Channels

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disease, caused by a mutant dystrophin gene, leading to muscle membrane instability, followed by muscle inflammation, infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages and fibrosis. The calcium-activated potassium channel type 3.1 (KCa3.1) plays key roles in controlling both macrophage phenotype and fibroblast proliferation, two critical contributors to muscle damage. In this work, we demonstrate that pharmacological blockade of the channel in the mdx mouse model during the early degenerative phase favors the acquisition of an anti-inflammatory phenotype by tissue macrophages and reduces collagen deposition in muscles, with a concomitant reduction of muscle damage. As already observed with other treatments, no improvement in muscle performance was observed in vivo. In conclusion, this work supports the idea that KCa3.1 channels play a contributing role in controlling damage-causing cells in DMD. A more complete understanding of their function could lead to the identification of novel therapeutic approaches.
Pleistocene volcanism along the margins of the Canal de Ballenas transform fault, Gulf of California

Pleistocene subaerial volcanism along the margins of the Ballenas Channel, northern Gulf of California, is represented by two morphologically young dacite dome complexes exposed at the opposite edges of sheared continental crust: Isla Coronado in coastal Baja California, and the Lobera volcanic complex in west-central Isla Ángel de la Guarda. Single crystal zircon U-Pb crystallization ages of Coronado and Lobera volcanoes range between ca. 250 and 1000 ka, indicating maximum ages for the eruptions. Eruption ages are directly constrained by an 40Ar/39Ar whole-rock age of 692 ± 164 ka for one of the lava units in the Lobera volcanic complex. Trace elements in Pleistocene zircon indicate continental affinity, which supports radiogenic (Nd, Sr) isotopic data that were modeled using different mixing and AFC scenarios indicating a MORB-type primary magma with significant (~10–20 %) crustal assimilation involving tonalitic basement of the eastern Peninsular Ranges Batholith.
Intrusion Detection and Classification Using Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm

Studies of ant colonies have contributed in abundance to the set of intelligent algorithms. The modeling of pheromone depositing by ants in their search for the shortest paths to food sources resulted in the development of shortest path optimization algorithms. Ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms have been successfully applied to combinatorial optimization tasks especially to data mining classification problem. Internet and local networks have become everywhere. So organizations are increasingly employing various systems that monitor IT security breaches because intrusion events are growing day by day. Ant-based algorithms or ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms can be applied to the data mining field to extract rule-based classifiers and have been applied successfully to combinatorial optimization problems. More recently, researches applied ACO to data mining classification problems, where they introduced a classification algorithm called Ant-Miner algorithm. The Ant-Miner algorithm is based on the behavior of ants in searching of food. The aim of this paper is to use an Ant Colony-based classification system (Ant_Miner algorithm) to extract a set of rules for detection and classification, and it obtained a hopeful classification accuracy.
OPTIMALISASI PENERAPAN ISPS CODE BERDASARKAN TINGKAT KEAMANAN DALAM MENUNJANG KEAMANAN KAPAL DAN PELABUHAN

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan pemahaman awak kapal mengenai penerapan ISPS Code sehingga awak kapal dapat mengerti dan mengidentifikasi gangguan keamanan berdasarkan tingkat keamanan secara efektif baik pada saat kapal berada di pelabuhan maupun saat kapal berlayar. penelitian ini menggunakan jenis pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif. Data primer didapatkan langsung melalui wawancara dengan beberapa responden dan observasi langsung ke pelabuhan. Data sekunder diperoleh dari sumber dokumentasi, referensi jurnal, dan berbagai literatur yang mendukung tujuan dari penelitian ini. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan melakukan observasi, wawancara secara mendalam dan studi dokumentasi. Analisis data dilakukan dengan cara identifikasi jenis-jenis gangguan keamanan di kapal dan pelabuhan kemudian memisahkan gangguan keamanan berdasarkan tingkat kemanan serta tugas dan tanggung jawab dari setiap petugas keamanan selanjutnya dilakukan penarikan kesimpulan. Penerapan ISPS Code berupa pelaksanaan prosedur pengamanan fasilitas pelabuhan pada semua tingkat keamanan (Security Level) Pelabuhan akan aman sehingga secara tidak langsung akan meningkatkan kepercayaan dunia internasional, dimana hal ini akan berdampak pada peningkatkan kunjungan kapal, menurunkan tingginya biaya logistik dan premi asuransi terhadap wilayan beresiko, serta menarik minat investasi di pelabuhan
A Comparison of Robust Likelihood Estimators to Mitigate Bias From Rapid Guessing

Rapid guessing (RG) behavior can undermine measurement property and score-based inferences. To mitigate this potential bias, practitioners have relied on response time information to identify and filter RG responses. However, response times may be unavailable in many testing contexts, such as paper-and-pencil administrations. When this is the case, self-report measures of effort and person-fit statistics have been used. These methods are limited in that inferences concerning motivation and aberrant responding are made at the examinee level. As test takers can engage in a mixture of solution and RG behavior throughout a test administration, there is a need to limit the influence of potential aberrant responses at the item level. This can be done by employing robust estimation procedures. Since these estimators have received limited attention in the RG literature, the objective of this simulation study was to evaluate ability parameter estimation accuracy in the presence of RG by comparing maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to two robust variants, the bisquare and Huber estimators. Two RG conditions were manipulated, RG percentage (10%, 20%, and 40%) and pattern (difficulty-based and changing state). Contrasted to the MLE procedure, results demonstrated that both the bisquare and Huber estimators reduced bias in ability parameter estimates by as much as 94%. Given that the Huber estimator showed smaller standard deviations of error and performed equally as well as the bisquare approach under most conditions, it is recommended as a promising approach to mitigating bias from RG when response time information is unavailable.
Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intention among National Diploma Students of Polytechnics in South-Western Nigeria

The purpose of the study was to find out the determinants of entrepreneurial intention among National Diploma Students of Polytechnics in South-Western Nigeria. Specifically, the study addressed five research questions and five null hypotheses. The design for the study was descriptive survey design. The population of the study was made up of 5,932. Purposive random sampling technique was used to select five hundred and seventy seven (577) students from the fourteen polytechnics using Yaro Yamane’s formular for determining sample size. A structured questionnaire, namely MVEIQ used for data collection were adapted from six different people. The MVEIQ comprises of 49 items and was meant to measure their agreement level. Results obtained in the pilot tested questionnaire revealed that the study’s instrument was reliable. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS (Version 21). Findings of the study revealed that the five variables had influence on student’s entrepreneurial intentions. All the hypotheses tested using multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance, revealed that there were significant contribution of the variables in the model. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Federal government in collaboration with State governments should provide scholarships/bursaries for performing students by way of encouragement. All barriers to entry should be taken into consideration by stakeholders in developing the entrepreneurial intentions of Polytechnics students.
Structural and Dielectric Properties of Ba-Doped BNT Ceramics

In this study, lead-free Ba-doped ((Bi(0.5)Na0.5)TiO3 ceramics were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method and characterized by X-ray diffraction technique, which indicates the pure crystalline nature of ceramics with ABO3 symmetry. The splitting in the peaks reveals that the ceramics with x = 0.10 and 0.30 are well in Morphotrophic Phase Boundary where rhombohedral and tetragonal phases co-exist. The scanning electron microscope images show that the average grain size of the ceramics increases with an increase in the Ba concentration. Dielectric properties of pure and Ba-doped ((Bi(0.5)Na0.5)TiO3ceramics measured by LCR meter in the frequency range of 1 k Hz – 1 M Hz shows the decrease in the value of dielectric constant with an increase in frequency. εmax = 5563 was obtained at x = 0.30 with TC = 300 °C at the frequency of 1 k Hz, whereas σ (f) curves were found to be merging at a high value of frequency and temperature regions.
Softening effects of RC nonstructural flat walls on ductile concrete buildings

Nonstructural reinforced concrete flat walls architecturally designed as exterior/partition walls in concrete buildings were severely damaged by the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku. This damage was observed in the monolithic nonstructural flat walls of relatively old ductile concrete buildings. Although these flat walls might affect the overall seismic performance and behavior of a building, the nonstructural wall effects have not been clarified because of the complex interactions among the structural components. To understand these effects, this paper conducts an experimental and numerical investigation of the nonstructural wall effects, focusing on a typical residential building damaged by the 2011 earthquake. A single‐story, one‐bay moment‐resisting frame model of the building with a nonstructural flat wall was tested to clarify the fundamental behavior. The results reveal that the wall significantly contributed to the seismic performance of the overall frame until it failed in shear, subsequently losing structural effectiveness. Such experimental wall behavior could be simulated by the isoparametric element model. Moreover, the structural effects of the nonstructural flat walls on the global seismic performance and behavior of the investigated building were discussed through earthquake response analyses using ground motions recorded near the building site and pushover analyses. Consequently, the building damage could be simulated in an analytical case considering the nonstructural flat walls, showing larger inter‐story drifts in the lower stories due to softening of the walls. The analytical results also indicated that the softening of the nonstructural flat walls decreased the building ductility, as defined by ultimate inter‐story drifts. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social Support and Psychological Distress among the Bedouin Arab Elderly in Israel: The Moderating Role of Gender

In Israel, as in other developed countries, mental health problems are common among older adults who are members of disadvantaged ethnic minorities that are experiencing cultural and social changes. The main goals of the current study were: (a) to examine gender differences in the levels of psychological distress and social support among Bedouin elders, and (b) to examine the moderating role of gender in the associations between social support indices and psychological distress. We used a cross-sectional design, and independent t-tests and hierarchical linear regression analysis were performed. The study was conducted in homes and in social clubs and community centers for elderly people and involved face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires. A convenience sample of 170 Bedouin Arab elderly people living in Israel participated in the study. Participants completed self-report questionnaires that assessed psychological distress, perceived social support, instrumental social support, and socio-demographic characteristics. Male elders reported lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of instrumental support. Female elders, who reported low levels of both perceived and instrumental support, also reported higher levels of psychological distress. Among the women, there were significant associations between psychological distress and perceived social support, and instrumental support only when the levels of support were low. This study underscores the moderating role of gender in the associations between different types of social support and psychological distress among elderly people belonging to ethnic and cultural underprivileged minority groups.
Phytochemical Study of Eryngium cymosum F. Delaroche and the Inhibitory Capacity of Its Main Compounds on Two Glucose-Producing Pathway Enzymes

One undescribed acylated flavonol glucoside and five known compounds were isolated from the aerial parts of Eryngium cymosum F. Delaroche, a plant that is used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat type 2 diabetes. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using a variety of spectroscopic techniques, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). Chlorogenic acid (1), rosmarinic acid (2), caffeic acid (3), protocatechuic acid (4), kaempferol-3-O-(2,6-di-O-trans-ρ-coumaryl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), and the new acylated flavonol glucoside quercetin-3-O-(2,6-di-O-trans-ρ-coumaryl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (6) were isolated. This is the first report on the natural occurrence of quercetin-3-O-(2,6-di-O-trans-ρ-coumaryl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (6). In addition, according to the HPLC profile obtained for the water extract (WE), chlorogenic acid (1) and rosmarinic acid (2) were identified as the main compounds, while kaempferol-3-O-(2,6-di-O-trans-ρ-coumaryl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (5) were the main compound in the butanolic extract. We demonstrate the important role of compound 5 over the inhibition of G6Pase and FBPase. The isolated compounds may play an important role in the hypoglycemic effect of the extract and may act in a synergic way, but more experiments are needed to corroborate these findings.
Assessment Of Loads And Performance Of A Wave Energy Converter For The Mediterranean Sea

The device PeWEC (Pendulum Wave Energy Converter) developed by a partnership between ENEA and the Politecnico di Torino University, was simulated by using the open-source wave energy converter simulation tool WEC-Sim complemented by a Boundary Element Method (BEM) code for the calculation of hydrodynamic coefficients. Numerical results were compared to experimental data carried out at INSEAN laboratory tank tests. Free-decay simulations were performed numerically in order to determine the natural frequencies of the system. Moreover, a set of simulations was carried out with regular waves by varying the wave period and keeping the amplitude constant. The dynamic response of the device and the absorbed power were analysed and compared to experimental results. The code better predict the evolution of the oscillations of the pendulum rather than those of the hull but, more generally, the experimental and the numerical power curve presented good agreement. For the wave periods close the natural ones of the system, by neglecting viscous damping the absorbed power by the device is strongly overestimated by the numerical approach, while, considering this effect, an improved agreement is noticed. For the other wave periods numerical and experimental data show similar values. Finally, simulations were conducted by giving the user-defined wave elevation time-history measured by one of the probes in the test tanks. Even if mean and maximum values of the dynamic response were already well predicted, such a simulation permitted to know the dynamic of the system at any given time with a major precision. The usage of only open-source codes could provide to both industries and new WECs designers an efficient and straightforward tool to study and improve wave energy converters technology