Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumer Acceptance Analysis of the Home Energy Management System

The purpose of this paper is to study consumer acceptance of the Home Energy Management System, which is the next generation electronic management system that the Korean government plans to implement in households. The Home Energy Management System is a critical device in maximizing the efficiency of electric energy consumption for each household by using a smart grid. Because it can visualize real-time price information on the electricity, households can easily monitor and control the amount of electricity consumption. With this feature, the Home Energy Management System can contribute to consumers’ total energy savings. This is a major reason why the Korean government wishes to implement it nationwide. Since the Home Energy Management System is a product that applies new technology that has not yet been directly encountered by consumers, there may be a difference in the level of public perception of the Home Energy Management System. Therefore, the impact of consumers’ awareness of the Home Energy Management System on their intention to use is important. To do this, the Technology Acceptance Model is utilized in this study. Traditional research on the Technology Acceptance Model includes awareness of usefulness and ease of use as well as intention to use. In contrast, in this research, an extended Technology Acceptance Model with four additional factors—economic benefit, social contribution, environmental responsibility, and innovativeness—that may affect the consumer’s awareness of usefulness and ease of use, is proposed. To collect the data, the survey was conducted with 287 respondents. As a result, the proposed model proved to be suitable in explaining the intention to use with a 70.3% explanation power. It is found that economic benefit (0.231) and innovativeness (0.259) impact on usefulness of the Home Energy Management System. Moreover, usefulness (0.551) has a bigger effect on intention to use than ease of use (0.338) does. Based on this, it is desirable for the Korean government to pursue a public relations strategy that emphasizes the economic benefits, social contributions, and environmental responsibility that will be gained when introducing the Home Energy Management System. It is effective to focus on consumers who are inclined to accept innovation. In addition, more effective results can be obtained by referring to the usefulness of the Home Energy Management System rather than referring to ease of use.
Metabolomic and Genome‐wide Association Studies Reveal Potential Endogenous Biomarkers for OATP1B1

Transporter‐mediated drug‐drug interactions (DDIs) are a major cause of drug toxicities. Using published genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) of the human metabolome, we identified 20 metabolites associated with genetic variants in organic anion transporter, OATP1B1 (P < 5 × 10−8). Of these, 12 metabolites were significantly higher in plasma samples from volunteers dosed with the OATP1B1 inhibitor, cyclosporine (CSA) vs. placebo (q‐value < 0.2). Conjugated bile acids and fatty acid dicarboxylates were among the metabolites discovered using both GWAS and CSA administration. In vitro studies confirmed tetradecanedioate (TDA) and hexadecanedioate (HDA) were novel substrates of OATP1B1 as well as OAT1 and OAT3. This study highlights the use of multiple datasets for the discovery of endogenous metabolites that represent potential in vivo biomarkers for transporter‐mediated DDIs. Future studies are needed to determine whether these metabolites can serve as qualified biomarkers for organic anion transporters. Quantitative relationships between metabolite levels and modulation of transporters should be established.
Factor VIII accelerates proteolytic cleavage of von Willebrand factor by ADAMTS13

Proteolytic processing of von Willebrand factor (VWF) by ADAMTS13 metalloproteinase is crucial for normal hemostasis. In vitro, cleavage of VWF by ADAMTS13 is slow even at high shear stress and is typically studied in the presence of denaturants. We now show that, under shear stress and at physiological pH and ionic strength, coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) accelerates, by a factor of ≈10, the rate of specific cleavage at the Tyr1605–Met1606 bond in VWF. Multimer analysis reveals that FVIII preferentially accelerates the cleavage of high-molecular-weight multimers. This rate enhancement is not observed with VWF predenatured with 1.5 M guanidine. The ability of FVIII to enhance VWF cleavage by ADAMTS13 is rapidly lost after pretreatment of FVIII with thrombin. A FVIII derivative lacking most of the B domain behaves equivalently to full-length FVIII. In contrast, a derivative lacking both the B domain and the acidic region a3 that contributes to the high-affinity interaction of FVIII with VWF exhibits a greatly reduced ability to enhance VWF cleavage. Our data suggest that FVIII plays a role in regulating proteolytic processing of VWF by ADAMTS13 under shear stress, which depends on the high-affinity interaction between FVIII and its carrier protein, VWF.
Tumour heterogeneity promotes collective invasion and cancer metastatic dissemination

Heterogeneity within tumour cell populations is commonly observed in most cancers. However, its impact on metastatic dissemination, one of the primary determinants of the disease prognosis, remains poorly understood. Working with a simplified numerical model of tumour spheroids, we investigated the impact of mechanical heterogeneity on the onset of tumour invasion into surrounding tissues. Our work establishes a positive link between tumour heterogeneity and metastatic dissemination, and recapitulates a number of invasion patterns identified in vivo, such as multicellular finger-like protrusions. Two complementary mechanisms are at play in heterogeneous tumours. A small proportion of stronger cells are able to initiate and lead the escape of cells, while collective effects in the bulk of the tumour provide the coordination required to sustain the invasive process through multicellular streaming. This suggests that the multicellular dynamics observed during metastasis is a generic feature of mechanically heterogeneous cell populations and might rely on a limited and generic set of attributes.
Adaptive Sampling via Histogram Equalization using an Active Walker Model

We propose a novel, progressive, adaptive sampling method, that efficiently varies the sampling rate in local regions of a function based on the distribution of already collected samples. We show that for many functions, increasing the sampling rate in a region of a function with relatively higher complexity is achieved by the equalization of the histogram of the sampled function values. The sampling scheme thus achieves two purposes that are shown to be equivalent; efficiently adapted sampling rates based on local function complexity, and an improvement in diversity in the sampled function values. We achieve the sampling, progressively, through an active walker model. The sample points are placed based on the location of simulated active walkers whose movement is adapted at each stage to achieve the required histogram equalization. The only requirement by this algorithm is the ability to obtain the value of the function at each sample point; no a priori information on the relative levels of local variation of the function being sampled is required. We illustrate this concept with some examples, and discuss practical applications in the two broad areas of adaptive sampling, and improving diversity in samples
An analytical study of fundamental mobility properties for encounter-based protocols

Traditionally, mobility in ad hoc networks was considered as a necessary evil that hinders node communication. However, it has recently been recognised that mobility can be turned into a useful ally, by making nodes carry data between disconnected parts. Yet, this model of routing requires new theoretical tools to analyse its performance. A mobility-assisted or encounter-based protocol forwards data only when appropriate relays encounter each other. To be able to evaluate the performance of mobility-assisted routing schemes, it is necessary to know the statistics of various quantities related to node encounters. In this article, we present an analytical methodology to calculate a number of useful encounter-related statistics for a general class of mobility models. We apply our methodology to derive accurate closed form expressions for popular mobility models like Random Direction, as well as for a more sophisticated mobility model that better captures behaviours observed in real traces. Finally, we show how these results can be used to analyse the performance of mobility-assisted routing schemes or other processes based on node encounters. We demonstrate that derivative results concerning the delay of various routing schemes are very accurate under all mobility models examined.
Candidate Gustatory Interneurons Modulating Feeding Behavior in the Drosophila Brain

Feeding is a fundamental activity of all animals that can be regulated by internal energy status or external sensory signals. We have characterized a zinc finger transcription factor, klumpfuss (klu), which is required for food intake in Drosophila larvae. Microarray analysis indicates that expression of the neuropeptide gene hugin (hug) in the brain is altered in klu mutants and that hug itself is regulated by food signals. Neuroanatomical analysis demonstrates that hug-expressing neurons project axons to the pharyngeal muscles, to the central neuroendocrine organ, and to the higher brain centers, whereas hug dendrites are innervated by external gustatory receptor-expressing neurons, as well as by internal pharyngeal chemosensory organs. The use of tetanus toxin to block synaptic transmission of hug neurons results in alteration of food intake initiation, which is dependent on previous nutrient condition. Our results provide evidence that hug neurons function within a neural circuit that modulates taste-mediated feeding behavior.
Theory of cylindrical tubules and helical ribbons of chiral lipid membranes.

We present a general theory for the equilibrium structure of cylindrical tubules and helical ribbons of chiral lipid membranes. This theory is based on a continuum elastic free energy that permits variations in the direction of molecular tilt and in the curvature of the membrane. The theory shows that the formation of tubules and helical ribbons is driven by the chirality of the membrane. Tubules have a first-order transition from a uniform state to a helically modulated state, with periodic stripes in the tilt direction and ripples in the curvature. Helical ribbons can be stable structures, or they can be unstable intermediate states in the formation of tubules.
Do men heal more when in drag?: conflicting identity cues between user and avatar

Studies in the Proteus Effect have shown that users conform to stereotypes associated with their avatar's appearance. In this study, we used longitudinal behavioral data from 1,040 users in a virtual world to examine the behavioral outcome of conflicting gender cues between user and avatar. We found that virtual gender had a significant effect on in-game behaviors for both healing and player-vs-player activity.
Hardness of approximation for quantum problems

The polynomial hierarchy plays a central role in classical complexity theory. Here, we define a quantum generalization of the polynomial hierarchy, and initiate its study. We show that not only are there natural complete problems for the second level of this quantum hierarchy, but that these problems are in fact hard to approximate. Using the same techniques, we also obtain hardness of approximation for the class QCMA. Our approach is based on the use of dispersers, and is inspired by the classical results of Umans regarding hardness of approximation for the second level of the classical polynomial hierarchy [Umans, FOCS 1999]. The problems for which we prove hardness of approximation for include, among others, a quantum version of the Succinct Set Cover problem, and a variant of the local Hamiltonian problem with hybrid classical-quantum ground states.
Public health value of fixed‐dose combinations in hypertension

It is well documented that reducing blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive individuals reduces the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. Despite this, many patients with hypertension remain untreated or inadequately treated, and fail to reach the recommended BP goals. Suboptimal BP control, whilst arising from multiple causes, is often due to poor patient compliance and/or persistence, and results in a significant health and economic burden on society. The use of fixed‐dose combinations (FDCs) for the treatment of hypertension has the potential to increase patient compliance and persistence. When compared with antihypertensive monotherapies, FDCs may also offer equivalent or better efficacy, and the same or improved tolerability. As a result, FDCs have the potential to reduce both the CV event rates and the non‐drug healthcare costs associated with hypertension. When FDCs are adopted for the treatment of hypertension, issues relating to co‐payment, formulary restrictions and therapeutic reference pricing must be addressed.
Decreased Psychological Well-Being in Late ‘Chronotypes’ Is Mediated by Smoking and Alcohol Consumption

Individuals are different ‘chronotypes’ with early ‘larks’ and late ‘owls’ forming the limits of a normal distribution in the population. We recently described that late chronotypes who suffer from a conflict between internal and external time (‘social jetlag’) suffer from more mental distress and are more likely to smoke than early chronotypes (Wittmann, Dinich, Merrow, and Roenneberg, . Social jetlag: mis-alignment of biological and social time. Chronobiology International, 23:497–509.). We performed a detailed analysis of the same database collected in 2002 comprising 134 daily smokers and 366 nonsmokers, scrutinizing the relationships between chronotype, smoking, and alcohol consumption as well as psychological well-being using a multiple mediation analysis. On average, smokers tend to be later chronotypes, report more sleep-associated psychosomatic symptoms, are more depressed, less balanced, and less vigilant. The mediation analysis suggests that only those late chronotypes who smoke and those who drink more suffer from increased psychological distress. We suggest that ‘chronotype’ is introduced as an additional factor in substance use, that is, when considering motives for smoking and drinking.
Reionization and cosmic microwave background distortions: A complete treatment of second-order Compton scattering.

The ionization history of the universe provides a major source of ambiguity in constraining cosmological models using small angular scale microwave background anisotropies. To clarify these issues, we consider a complete treatment of Compton scattering to second order, an approach which may be applicable to other astrophysical situations. We find that only the ${\cal O} (v)$ Doppler effect, and the ${\cal O} (v\delta)$ Vishniac effect are important for recent last scattering epochs; the ${\cal O} (v^2)$ Doppler effect is not significant on any angular scale, and other higher-order effects are completely negligible. However the ${\cal O}(v^2)$ effect does lead to \Cy\ distortions, which although generally below current constraints, set an unavoidable minimum level in reionization models. We consider the small-angle approximation for the Vishniac effect in detail, and show several improvements over previous treatments, particularly for low $\Omega_0$. For standard cold dark matter models, the effect of reionization is to redistribute the anisotropies to arcminute scales; late reionization leads to partially erased primary fluctuations and a secondary contribution of comparable magnitude. Using recent anisotropy limits from the ATCA experiment, we set new constraints on baryonic dark matter models. Stronger constraints are imposed (in second order) upon models with higher Hubble constant, steeper $n$, and higher density. These limits depend on the specific ionization history assumed, but the factor gained by lowering the ionization fraction is generally small, and may be tested by currently-planned
Different Modalities of Intercellular Membrane Exchanges Mediate Cell-to-cell P-glycoprotein Transfers in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells*

Background: The P-glycoprotein is expressed in many human cancers, where it contributes to multi-drug resistance phenomenon. Results: Both TnTs and microparticles contribute to the transfer of P-gp in MCF-7. Conclusion: Our findings supply new mechanistic evidences for the extragenetic emergence of MDR in cancer cells. Significance: Inhibition of both MPs and TnTs could be included in treatment strategies designed to overcome MDR. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) is a phenomenon by which tumor cells exhibit resistance to a variety of chemically unrelated chemotherapeutic drugs. The classical form of multidrug resistance is connected to overexpression of membrane P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which acts as an energy dependent drug efflux pump. P-glycoprotein expression is known to be controlled by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Until now processes of P-gp gene up-regulation and resistant cell selection were considered sufficient to explain the emergence of MDR phenotype within a cell population. Recently, however, “non-genetic” acquisitions of MDR by cell-to-cell P-gp transfers have been pointed out. In the present study we show that intercellular transfers of functional P-gp occur by two different but complementary modalities through donor-recipient cells interactions in the absence of drug selection pressure. P-glycoprotein and drug efflux activity transfers were followed over 7 days by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry in drug-sensitive parental MCF-7 breast cancer cells co-cultured with P-gp overexpressing resistant variants. An early process of remote transfer was established based on the release and binding of P-gp-containing microparticles. Microparticle-mediated transfers were detected after only 4 h of incubation. We also identify an alternative mode of transfer by contact, consisting of cell-to-cell P-gp trafficking by tunneling nanotubes bridging neighboring cells. Our findings supply new mechanistic evidences for the extragenetic emergence of MDR in cancer cells and indicate that new treatment strategies designed to overcome MDR may include inhibition of both microparticles and Tunneling nanotube-mediated intercellular P-gp transfers.
Revoke-Obfuscation : PowerShell Obfuscation Detection Using Science

Background By far the most prevalent delivery and execution vehicle for malware in the industry today is basic malicious executables and malicious documents. While not represented accurately by its popularity in the news, a small portion of the current malware ecosystem leverages PowerShell as part of its attack chain. Of malware that uses PowerShell, the most prevalent use is the garden-variety stager: an executable or document macro that launches PowerShell to download another executable and run it.
A systematic review of the burden of neonatal mortality and morbidity in the ASEAN Region

Neonatal morbidity and mortality are major global public health challenges representing an increasing proportion of overall under-5 child mortality, with the vast majority of neonatal deaths occurring in resource-limited settings. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, it is estimated that approximately 200 000 neonatal deaths occur annually with reported estimates of the neonatal mortality rate ranging from 1 to over 30 per 1000 live-births, depending on the setting. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of published data on neonatal morbidity and mortality from the ASEAN region over the last 10 years. Very few published studies reporting neonatal morbidity and mortality in this region were found. Importantly, data are available from just a few countries, with an underrepresentation of the most resource-limited settings. The majority of the studies describing mortality and morbidity were retrospective surveys or focussed on a specific cause of neonatal morbidity. Studies included findings from a range of settings, from neonatal intensive care to community settings utilizing verbal autopsy. Therefore, comprehensive and prospective data are needed to inform priorities and potential interventions to improve neonatal care and reduce neonatal mortality in this region.
Cataract development in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-deficient mice.

The present study was undertaken to analyse the relationship of lens glutathione (GSH) and light to cataract development in mice deficient in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). These mice have reduced levels of cysteine and GSH in the eye and develop cataracts. GGT-deficient mice raised under normal vivarium conditions, showed no cataractous changes at birth, but by 1 week they had developed nuclear opacities. By 3 weeks more severe cataracts develop, and lens GSH levels are approximately 6-7% of wild type levels. By 6-11 weeks cataracts show nuclear and cortical involvement, liquefaction and calcification. Single cell DNA electrophoresis (comet assay) demonstrated mild DNA damage in the lens epithelium. GGT-deficient mice raised in the dark beginning the day after conception all developed cataracts, but these were less severe than those in GGT-deficient mice raised with normal vivarium lighting. Administration of N -acetyl cysteine (NAC) raises lens GSH and almost completely prevents cataract development. Our data indicate that cataract development in GGT-deficient mice is multifactorial and results from exogenous damage (exposure to light), reduced lens GSH levels, and nutritional effects secondary to low cysteine levels.
Laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy

Shortage of deceased donor organs led to establishment of living donor liver transplantation. Recent reports have strongly suggested that laparoscopic approach should be the gold standard for lesions in the left lateral section. Laparoscopic living donor left lateral sectionectomy was first described in 2002. Subsequently, laparoscopic procurement of left lateral sections was shown to be safe and reproducible, resulting in grafts similar to those obtained with open surgery. In 2006, laparoscopy-assisted right lobe donor hepatectomy was reported. To date, however, only a small number of liver transplant centers have performed laparoscopic donor hepatectomy because the procedure can be performed only by surgical teams with extensive expertise in performing both minimally invasive surgery on the liver and liver transplantation with partial and living donor liver grafts. Herein, we describe the details of laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy including total laparoscopic surgery and laparoscopy-assisted surgery.
Slip ratio for lugged wheel of planetary rover in deformable soil: definition and estimation

The wheel slip ratio is an important state variable in terramechanics research and the control of planetary rovers. Definitions of the slip ratio for a wheel with lugs and methods of estimating it for all wheels onboard have seldom been attempted. This paper presents several definitions for the slip ratio of a lugged wheel, which can be interconverted by altering the shearing radius. Equations for calculating the longitudinal velocity and slip ratio of a wheel moving on rough terrain are deduced from the horizontal speed of the wheel's axle. Wheel-soil interaction experiments were performed for two types of wheels with different radii and lugs of different heights. The drawbar pull, torque, and wheel sinkage were measured using sensors. These data confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed slip ratio definition methods. Furthermore, two slip ratio estimation methods are proposed and verified: a visual information-based method by analyzing the lug traces marked on the terrain with high precision, and a terramechanics-based method in which the equations for the vertical load and torque are solved to estimate the slip ratios of all wheels.