19 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 19
Article Citation - WoS: 9Citation - Scopus: 9Urinalysis of Individuals With Renal Hyperfiltration Using Atr-Ftir Spectroscopy(Nature Portfolio, 2022) Kurultak, Ilhan; Sarigul, Neslihan; Kodal, Nil Su; Korkmaz, FilizAbnormal increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), otherwise known as renal hyperfiltration (RHf), is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular mortality. Although it is not considered as a disease alone in medicine today, early detection of RHf is essential to reducing risk in a timely manner. However, detecting RHf is a challenge since it does not have a practical biochemical marker that can be followed or quantified. In this study, we tested the ability of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to distinguish 17 individuals with RHf (hyperfiltraters; RHf (+)), from 20 who have normal GFR (normofiltraters; RHf(-)), using urine samples. Spectra collected from hyperfiltraters were significantly different from the control group at positions 1621, 1390, 1346, 933 and 783/cm. Intensity changes at these positions could be followed directly from the absorbance spectra without the need for pre-processing. They were tentatively attributed to urea, citrate, creatinine, phosphate groups, and uric acid, respectively. Using principal component analysis (PCA), major peaks of the second derivative forms for the classification of two groups were determined. Peaks at 1540, 1492, 1390, 1200, 1000 and 840/cm were significantly different between the two groups. Statistical analysis showed that the spectra of normofiltraters are similar; however, those of hyperfiltraters show diversity at multiple positions that can be observed both from the absorbance spectra and the second derivative profiles. This observation implies that RHf can simultaneously affect the excretion of many substances, and that a spectroscopic analysis of urine can be used as a rapid and non-invasive pre-screening tool.Data Paper Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 3The Psychological Science Accelerator's Covid-19 Rapid-Response Dataset(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Buchanan, Erin M.; Lewis, Savannah C.; Paris, Bastien; Forscher, Patrick S.; Pavlacic, Jeffrey M.; Beshears, Julie E.; Primbs, Maximilian A.In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data.Article A Benchmark of Expert-Level Academic Questions to Assess AI Capabilities(Nature Portfolio, 2026) Phan, Long; Gatti, Alice; Li, Nathaniel; Khoja, Adam; Kim, Ryan; Ren, Richard; Scaramuzza, Davide; Park, JongeeBenchmarks are important tools for tracking the rapid advancements in large language model (LLM) capabilities. However, benchmarks are not keeping pace in difficulty: LLMs now achieve more than 90% accuracy on popular benchmarks such as Measuring Massive Multitask Language Understanding(1), limiting informed measurement of state-of-the-art LLM capabilities. Here, in response, we introduce Humanity's Last Exam (HLE), a multi-modal benchmark at the frontier of human knowledge, designed to be an expert-level closed-ended academic benchmark with broad subject coverage. HLE consists of 2,500 questions across dozens of subjects, including mathematics, humanities and the natural sciences. HLE is developed globally by subject-matter experts and consists of multiple-choice and short-answer questions suitable for automated grading. Each question has a known solution that is unambiguous and easily verifiable but cannot be quickly answered by internet retrieval. State-of-the-art LLMs demonstrate low accuracy and calibration on HLE, highlighting a marked gap between current LLM capabilities and the expert human frontier on closed-ended academic questions. To inform research and policymaking upon a clear understanding of model capabilities, we publicly release HLE at https://lastexam.ai.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 2Chemical Mechanical Polishing as an Alternative Surface Treatment Technique for Corrosion Prevention of Carbon Steel in an Acidic Medium(Nature Portfolio, 2025) Ahmed, Mohamed; Ali Al-Timimi, Buthainah; Al-Ali, Maha; Abdullah, Ghassan H.; Khalaf Atiyaha, Safa; Yaseen Ali Aljanabi, Ahmed; Mel, MaizirwanChemical mechanical polishing (CMP) has been a standard technique in semiconductor manufacturing for achieving smooth surfaces. CMP utilizes a synergistic interplay of chemical and mechanical interactions to achieve the desired removal rates, selectivity, and ultimately planarity with different substrate materials. In this study, the impact of CMP on the surface properties of steel used in the petroleum industry was examined, with a focus on its corrosion behavior posttreatment. Steel samples were subjected to CMP with and without an oxidizer in a silica-based slurry, and their surface characteristics were compared to those of samples polished mechanically. The addition of an oxidizer to the slurry resulted in increased material removal rates and the formation of an oxide layer on the surface; this phenomenon was not observed in CMP without an oxidizer. However, in mechanical polishing, the action of silicon carbide grains on the steel surface led to an increase in the removal rate but caused a decrease in its corrosion resistance. Compared with other treatments, the oxide layer provided a good protective barrier against corrosion and improved the corrosion resistance of the steel substrate. Based on the results from the practical study, an improvement in the corrosion resistance properties was observed due to the chemical reaction of the oxidizer and the mechanical action of the silica nanoparticles; these results showed the importance of chemical mechanical polishing as an alternative method to reduce the corrosion of steel in acidic environments. Additionally, the effect of hydrogen peroxide in a silica slurry with respect to the wettability, surface roughness, and hardness of steel was examined using contact angle measurements, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, and microhardness tests.Article Citation - WoS: 9Citation - Scopus: 10Strain Engineering of Germanium Nanobeams by Electrostatic Actuation(Nature Portfolio, 2019) Ayan, Arman; Turkay, Deniz; Unlu, Buse; Naghinazhadahmadi, Parisa; Oliaei, Samad Nadimi Bavil; Boztug, Cicek; Yerci, SelcukGermanium (Ge) is a promising material for the development of a light source compatible with the silicon microfabrication technology, even though it is an indirect-bandgap material in its bulk form. Among various techniques suggested to boost the light emission efficiency of Ge, the strain induction is capable of providing the wavelength tunability if the strain is applied via an external force. Here, we introduce a method to control the amount of the axial strain, and therefore the emission wavelength, on a suspended Ge nanobeam by an applied voltage. We demonstrate, based on mechanical and electrical simulations, that axial strains over 4% can be achieved without experiencing any mechanical and/or electrical failure. We also show that the non-uniform strain distribution on the Ge nanobeam as a result of the applied voltage enhances light emission over 6 folds as compared to a Ge nanobeam with a uniform strain distribution. We anticipate that electrostatic actuation of Ge nanobeams provides a suitable platform for the realization of the on-chip tunable-wavelength infrared light sources that can be monolithically integrated on Si chips.Article Citation - WoS: 357Citation - Scopus: 374A New Artificial Urine Protocol To Better Imitate Human Urine(Nature Portfolio, 2019) Sarigul, Neslihan; Korkmaz, Filiz; Kurultak, IlhanArtificial urine has many advantages over human urine for research and educational purposes. By closely mimicking healthy individuals' urine, it may also be important in discovering novel biomarkers. However, up until now, there has not been any specific protocol to prove the similarity in terms of the chemical composition at the molecular level. In this study, a new artificial urine protocol is established to mimics the urine of healthy individuals. The multi-purpose artificial urine (MP-AU) presented here is compared with two other protocols most cited in literature. Furthermore, these three protocols are also compared with samples from 28 healthy young individuals. To do so, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is used, according to which MP-AU shows a significantly close similarity with human urine. In formulating MP-AU, the infrared spectra of nine compounds is provided, making possible the band assignment of some absorption bands to certain compounds. Given its properties, the MP-AU protocol introduced here is both economical and practical, making it useful when designing comparative-controlled experiments.Article Citation - WoS: 28Citation - Scopus: 30Microbial Community of Soda Lake Van as Obtained From Direct and Enriched Water, Sediment and Fish Samples(Nature Portfolio, 2021) Omeroglu, Esra Ersoy; Sudagidan, Mert; Yurt, Mediha Nur Zafer; Tasbasi, Behiye Busra; Acar, Elif Esma; Ozalp, Veli CengizSoda lakes are saline and alkaline ecosystems that are considered to have existed since the first geological records of the world. These lakes support the growth of ecologically and economically important microorganisms due to their unique geochemistry. Microbiota members of lakes are valuable models to study the link between community structure and abiotic parameters such as pH and salinity. Lake Van is the largest endroheic lake and in this study, bacterial diversity of lake water, sediment, and pearl mullet (inci kefali; Alburnus tarichi), an endemic species of fish which are collected from different points of the lake, are studied directly and investigated meticulously using a metabarcoding approach after pre-enrichment. Bacterial community structures were identified using Next Generation Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The analysis revealed that the samples of Lake Van contain high level of bacterial diversity. Direct water samples were dominated by Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidota, on the other hand, pre-enriched water samples were dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes at phylum-level. In direct sediment samples Proteobacteria, whereas in pre-enriched sediment samples Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were determined at highest level. Pre-enriched fish samples were dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes at phylum-level. In this study, microbiota members of Lake Van were identified by taxonomic analysis.Correction Antioxidant Activity of Micractinium Sp. (Chlorophyta) Extracts Against H2o2 Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cells(Nature Portfolio, 2025) Bulut, Onur; Kose, Iskin Engin; Sonmez, Cagla; Oktem, Huseyin AvniArticle Citation - WoS: 127Citation - Scopus: 117A Multi-Country Test of Brief Reappraisal Interventions on Emotions During the Covid-19 Pandemic(Nature Portfolio, 2021) Wang, Ke; Goldenberg, Amit; Dorison, Charles A.; Miller, Jeremy K.; Uusberg, Andero; Lerner, Jennifer S.; Moshontz, HannahThe COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 6Antioxidant Activity of Micractinium Sp. (Chlorophyta) Extracts Against H2O2 Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cells(Nature Portfolio, 2024) Bulut, Onur; Kose, Iskin Engin; Sonmez, Cagla; Oktem, Huseyin AvniIn response to the growing demand for high-value bioactive compounds, microalgae cultivation has gained a significant acceleration in recent years. Among these compounds, antioxidants have emerged as essential constituents in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. This study focuses on Micractinium sp. ME05, a green microalgal strain previously isolated from hot springs flora in our laboratory. Micractinium sp. cells were extracted using six different solvents, and their antioxidant capacity, as well as total phenolic, flavonoid, and carotenoid contents were evaluated. The methanolic extracts demonstrated the highest antioxidant capacity, measuring 7.72 and 93.80 mu mol trolox equivalents g-1 dry weight (DW) according to the DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively. To further characterize the biochemical profile, reverse phase high-performance chromatography (RP-HPLC) was employed to quantify twelve different phenolics, including rutin, gallic acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, and beta-carotene, in the microalgal extracts. Notably, the acetone extracts of Micractinium sp. grown mixotrophically contained a high amount of gallic acid (469.21 +/- 159.74 mu g g-1 DW), while 4-hydroxy benzoic acid (403.93 +/- 20.98 mu g g-1 DW) was the main phenolic compound in the methanolic extracts under heterotrophic cultivation. Moreover, extracts from Micractinium sp. exhibited remarkable cytoprotective activity by effectively inhibiting hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress and cell death in human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells. In conclusion, with its diverse biochemical composition and adaptability to different growth regimens, Micractinium sp. emerges as a robust candidate for mass cultivation in nutraceutical and food applications.
