Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular imaging of macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques using bimodal PEG‐micelles

Pegylated, fluorescent, and paramagnetic micelles were developed. The micelles were conjugated with macrophage scavenger receptor (MSR)‐specific antibodies. The abdominal aortas of atherosclerotic apoE‐KO mice were imaged with T1‐weighted high‐resolution MRI before and 24 h after intravenous administration of the contrast agent (CA). Pronounced signal enhancement (SE) (up to 200%) was observed for apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE‐KO) mice that were injected with MSR‐targeted micelles, while the aortic vessel wall of mice injected with nontargeted micelles showed little SE. To allow fluorescence microscopy and optical imaging of the excised aorta, the micelles were made fluorescent by incorporating either a quantum dot (QD) in the micelle corona or rhodamine lipids in the micelle. Ultraviolet (UV) illumination of the aorta allowed the identification of regions with high macrophage content, while MSR‐targeted rhodamine micelles could be detected with fluorescence microscopy and were found to be associated with macrophages. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that macrophages in apoE‐KO mice can be effectively and specifically detected by molecular MRI and optical methods upon administration of a pegylated micellar CA. Magn Reson Med 58:1164–1170, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Linarin promotes osteogenic differentiation by activating the BMP-2/RUNX2 pathway via protein kinase A signaling

Linarin (LIN), a flavonoid which exerts both anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, has been found to promote osteogenic differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism of its effect on osteoblast differentiation was unclear. In the present study, LIN from Flos Chrysanthemi Indici (FCI) was isolated in order to investigate the underlying mechanisms of LIN on MC3T3-E1 cells (a mouse osteoblastic cell line) and the osteoprotective effect of LIN in mice which had undergone an ovariectomy (OVX). The results revealed that LIN enhanced osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells dose-dependently, with enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization of extracellular matrix. LIN upregulated osteogenesis-related gene expression, including that of ALP, runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), osteocalcin (OCN), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and type I collagen (COL-I). Pretreatment with noggin, a bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) antagonist, meant that LIN-induced gene expression levels of COL-1, ALP, OCN, BSP and RUNX2 were significantly reduced, as shown by RT-qPCR. Western blot analysis showed that LIN dose-dependently increased the protein levels of BMP-2 and RUNX2 and enhanced the phosphorylation of SMAD1/5. In addition, LIN dose-dependently upregulated protein kinase A (PKA) expression. H-89 (a PKA inhibitor) partially blocked the LIN-induced protein increase in BMP-2, p-SMAD1/5 and RUNX2. We noted that LIN preserved the trabecular bone microarchitecture of ovariectomized mice in vivo. Moreover, pretreatment with LIN significantly lowered serum levels of ALP and OCN in ovariectomized mice. Our data indicated that LIN induced the osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells by activating the BMP-2/RUNX2 pathway through PKA signaling in vitro and protected against OVX-induced bone loss in vivo. The results strongly suggest that LIN is a useful natural alternative for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Equivalence in knowledge representation: automata, recurrent neural networks, and dynamical fuzzy systems

Neurofuzzy systems-the combination of artificial neural networks with fuzzy logic-have become useful in many application domains. However, conventional neurofuzzy models usually need enhanced representation power for applications that require context and state (e.g., speech, time series prediction, control). Some of these applications can be readily modeled as finite state automata. Previously, it was proved that deterministic finite state automata (DFA) can be synthesized by or mapped into recurrent neural networks by directly programming the DFA structure into the weights of the neural network. Based on those results, a synthesis method is proposed for mapping fuzzy finite state automata (FFA) into recurrent neural networks. Furthermore, this mapping is suitable for direct implementation in very large scale integration (VLSI), i.e., the encoding of FFA as a generalization of the encoding of DFA in VLSI systems. The synthesis method requires FFA to undergo a transformation prior to being mapped into recurrent networks. The neurons are provided with an enriched functionality in order to accommodate a fuzzy representation of FFA states. This enriched neuron functionality also permits fuzzy parameters of FFA to be directly represented as parameters of the neural network. We also prove the stability of fuzzy finite state dynamics of the constructed neural networks for finite values of network weight and, through simulations, give empirical validation of the proofs. Hence, we prove various knowledge equivalence representations between neural and fuzzy systems and models of automata.
HAdV-C6 Is a More Relevant Challenge Virus than HAdV-C5 for Testing Antiviral Drugs with the Immunosuppressed Syrian Hamster Model

Adenovirus infections of immunocompromised patients can cause a severe multi-organ disease that often results in the patients’ death. Presently, there are no drugs specifically approved to treat adenovirus infections, and clinicians resort to the off-label use of antivirals that are approved to treat other DNA virus infections, most frequently cidofovir (CDV). CDV, however, has considerable nephrotoxicity, thus it is recommended only for the most severe cases of adenovirus infections. To facilitate the development of effective, non-toxic antivirals against adenovirus, we have developed a permissive animal model based on the Syrian hamster that can be used to test the efficacy of antiviral compounds. Here, we show that in the hamster model, HAdV-C6 is a more useful challenge virus than the previously described HAdV-C5, because it is filtered out by tissue macrophages to a lesser extent. HAdV-C6 has a 10-fold lower LD50 in hamsters than HAdV-C5 and the pathology is caused by virus replication to a larger extent. We show that valganciclovir (VGCV), a drug that was shown to be active against intravenous HAdV-C5 infection previously, is efficacious against HAdV-C6 when administered either prophylactically or therapeutically. Further, we show for the first time that VGCV, and to a lesser extent CDV, can be used to treat respiratory adenovirus infections in the hamster model. These results extend the utility of the hamster model, and demonstrate the efficacy of two drugs available for clinicians to treat adenovirus infections.
MicroRNA-141-3p promotes glioma cell growth and temozolomide resistance by directly targeting p53

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common primary malignancy in the brain and confers a uniformly poor prognosis. MicroRNAs have been shown to activate or inhibit tumorigenesis. Abnormalities in the p53 signaling pathway are found in various cancers and correlate with tumor formation. We examined the expression of microRNA-141-3p (miR-141-3p) in glioma of different grades by analysis of expression profiling databases and clinical specimens. Cell proliferation and flow cytometry assays were performed to evaluate the promotion of miR-141-3p in proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and temozolomide resistance of glioblastoma cells in vitro. Bioinformatics analyses, luciferase reporter assays, and immunoblotting showed that p53 is a target gene of miR-141-3p. A significant inverse correlation was observed between expression of miR-141-3p and p53 in glioma and normal brain tissues (R2=0.506, P<0.0001). Rescue experiments indicated that overexpression of p53 significantly reversed the alterations in proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and temozolomide resistance measured by cell apoptosis induced by miR-141-3p overexpression. In an orthotopic mouse model of human glioma, inhibition of miRNA-141-3p reduced the proliferation and growth of glioma cells in the brain and significantly prolonged the survival of glioma-bearing mice. We suggest that miR-141-3p promotes glioblastoma progression and temozolomide resistance by altering p53 expression and therefore may serve as a new diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for glioma in the future.
A Novel Robust Scheme of Watermarking Database

A compact video system includes a collapsible cart for housing the components of a video system which is usable outdoors to record athletic events and the like. A wheeled lower housing supports an upper housing by adjustable arms. When the upper housing is collapsed against the lower housing, a brake is actuated to lock the wheels to prevent easy removal of the cart and theft of components housed in the lower housing. Housed in the upper housing is a video monitor which has an upwardly oriented tube face. The monitor face is viewed by a mirror and glare screen which are operatively associated with a lid which covers the monitor when closed. When the lid is opened, the video monitor may be viewed in bright sunlight without a substantial loss of image brightness.
Determining the Electron Density and Volume Expansion at Grain Boundaries Using Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy

Grain boundary (GB) energy is an important parameter in determining the microstructure and properties of materials. Seeger et al. [1] first proposed a dependence of the GB energy in metals on a volume expansion (δV) normal to the boundary with a corresponding decrease in the electron density (n) at the GB. In this work, valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS) and extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) analysis were used to examine fundamental GB properties such as the electron density and volume expansion, respectively.
Dosimetric advantages and clinical outcomes of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy for anal squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the dosimetric difference between simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), and the clinical outcomes of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) chemoradiotherapy featuring SIB-IMRT. Materials and Methods This study included ten patients with ASCC who underwent chemoradiotherapy using SIB-IMRT with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. SIB-IMRT delivered 54 Gy to each primary tumor plus metastatic lymph nodes and 45 Gy to regional lymph nodes, in 30 fractions. Four patients received additional boosts to the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes; the median total dose was 54 Gy (range, 54 to 60 Gy). We additionally created 3DCRT plans following the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9811 protocol to allow dosimetric comparisons with SIB-IMRT. Locoregional control, overall survival, and toxicity were calculated for the clinical outcome evaluation. Results Compared to 3DCRT, SIB-IMRT significantly reduced doses to the external genitalia, bladder, and intestine, delivering the doses to target and elective nodal region. At a median follow-up time of 46 months, 3-year locoregional control and overall survival rates were 88.9% and 100%, respectively. Acute toxicities were treated conservatively. All patients completed radiotherapy with brief interruptions (range, 0 to 2 days). No patient experienced ≥grade 3 late toxicity during the follow-up period. Conclusion The dosimetric advantages of SIB-IMRT appeared to reduce the toxicity of chemoradiotherapy for ASCC achieving high locoregional control in the extended period.
Effect of Temperature on the Setting Behavior of Concrete

The effects of fluctuating temperatures on the setting times of concrete mixtures made with different water-to-cement ratios, supplementary cementing materials (SCMs), and SCM dosages are evaluated in this paper. Initial and final set times of the concrete were determined with penetration resistance testing. Wet-sieved mortar samples were placed in hot and cold water baths that cycled over 24 h between temperature ranges of 32–41°C and 4–13°C, respectively. The control samples were cured at temperatures between 20 and 24°C. Results show that Class F fly ash will slightly retard setting, ground granulated blast furnace slag will slightly accelerate setting, and Class C fly ash will significantly increase setting times. It is shown that the equivalent age maturity method may be used to estimate setting times of concrete samples cured under fluctuating temperatures. Activation energy values are recommended for use with the equivalent age maturity method to predict setting.
Hugoniot equation of state of polymers

The Hugoniot equations of state of a large number of representative polymers have been obtained. Two aspects of the results are particularly striking: (1) The u{sub s}(u{sub p}) Hugoniots of all the polymers extrapolate to bulk sound velocities higher than the ultrasonic values, an indication of a rapidly varying rate of change of compressibility in this region. This is attributed both to the two-dimensional nature of polymer compression and to the form of the interchain interaction potential. (2) A relatively high pressure transformation (in the range 20-30 GPa), characterized by a change in slope of the u{sub s}(u{sub p}) Hugoniot and sometime by a large volume change as well, is observed for all of the polymers. This transformation is probably associated with pressure-induced cross bonding. In particular, for those polymers which contain rings in their monomer structure and which display the largest volume change at transformation, it is proposed that carbon-carbon covalent bonds along chains are broken and tetragonal bonds between chains are formed in a manner analogous to the graphite-diamond transformation.
Identical Bands and Δ I = 2 Staggering in Superdeformed Nuclei in A ∼ 150 Mass Region Using Three Parameters Rotational Model

By using a computer simulated search program, the experimental gamma transition energies for superdeformed rotational bands (SDRB’s) in A ∼ 150 region are fitted to proposed three-parameters model. The model parameters and the spin of the bandhead were obtained for the selected ten SDRB’s namely: 150Gd (yrast and excited SD bands), 151Tb (yrast and excited SD bands), 152Dy (yrast SD bands), 148Gd (SD-1,SD-6),149Gd (SD-1),153Dy (SD-1) and148Eu (SD-1). The KinematicJ(1) and dynamicJ(2) moments of inertia are studied as a function of the rotational frequency ~ω. From the calculated results, we notic that the excited SD bands have identical energies to their Z +1 neighbours for the twinned SD bands in N =86 nuclei. Also the analysis done allows us to confirmΔI = 2 staggering in the yrast SD bands of 148Gd, 149Gd, 153Dy, and148Eu and in the excited SD bands of 148Gd, by performing a staggering parameter analysis. For each band, we calculated the deviation of the gamma ray energies from smooth reference representing the finite di fference approximation to the fourth derivative of the gamma ray transition energies at a given spin.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

JCPP publishes the highest quality clinically relevant research in psychology, psychiatry and related disciplines. With a large and expanding global readership, its coverage includes studies on epidemiology, diagnosis, psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatments, behaviour, cognition, neuroscience, neurobiology and genetic aspects of childhood disorders. Articles published include experimental, longitudinal and intervention studies, especially those that advance our understanding of developmental psychopathology and that inform both theory and clinical practice. An important function of the Journal is to bring together empirical research, clinical studies and reviews of high quality that arise from different points of view, different theoretical perspectives and different disciplines.
The arithmetic complexity of tensor contractions

We investigate the algebraic complexity of tensor calulus. We consider a generalization of iterated matrix product to tensors and show that the resulting formulas exactly capture VP, the class of polynomial families efficiently computable by arithmetic circuits. This gives a natural and robust characterization of this complexity class that despite its naturalness is not very well understood so far.
Continuous Optimality Conditions for Constrained Optimal Control of Hybrid Systems

Using the fact that continuous piecewise affine systems can be written as special inverse optimization models, we present continuous stationarity conditions for constrained optimal control problems for hybrid dynamical systems. The modeling approach is based on the fact that piecewise affine functions can be written as the difference of two convex functions and has been described in previous publications. An optimal control problem for the resulting inverse optimization model is an instance of a mathematical program with complementarity constraints for which classical Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions may not hold. Exploiting the regularity properties of the inverse optimization model, we show why for the class of control problems under consideration this is not the case and the classical optimality conditions also characterize optimal input trajectories. We also provide a sufficient condition for a candidate solution of the control problem to be globally optimal. This paper is concerned with optimality conditions for finite time-horizon optimal control problems for discrete-time hybrid systems as typically encountered in Model Predictive Control (MPC). An important class of hybrid systems to consider is that of piecewise affine (PWA) systems [30]. While being an easy to understand generalization of linear system models, it has also been shown that many different hybrid system models are in fact equivalent to PWA models [15], unifying the treatment of a large number of systems. Throughout this paper, we assume all PWA systems to be continuous with corresponding implications on all equivalent models, e.g. well-posedness of the equivalent mixed-logical dynamical (MLD) model [1] and equivalence with max-min-plus-scaling systems [7] and linear complementarity models [14]. We consider hybrid dynamical systems in continuous piecewise affine (PWA) form. Their state dynamics are given as x = f(x, u) = Aix+Biu+ ci for (x, u) ∈ Ωi, (1) where x ∈ Rnx is the system state and u ∈ Rnu the control input. The nr regions Ωi ⊆ Rnx×Rnu form a partition of the domain Ω of the PWA system (1), i.e. int(Ωi)∩ int(Ωj) = ∅ The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Commission under the project SPEEDD, grant number 619435. Andreas Hempel and John Lygeros are with the Automatic Control Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Physikstrasse 3, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; {hempel,lygeros}@control.ee. ethz.ch. Paul Goulart is with the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, UK; paul.goulart@eng.ox. ac.uk. ar X iv :1 50 7. 02 87 8v 1 [ m at h. O C ] 1 0 Ju l 2 01 5 2 for i 6= j and ⋃nr i=1 = Ω. We assume the system dynamics to be continuous across region boundaries, i.e. Aix+Biu+ ci = Ajx+Bju+ cj for all x ∈ Ωi ∩ Ωj . For systems of PWA form (1) we consider finite time-horizon optimal control problems as typically encountered in model predictive control (MPC): min U,X lN (xN ) + N−1 ∑
The Photoinitiated Reaction Pathway of Full-length Cyanobacteriochrome Tlr0924 Monitored Over 12 Orders of Magnitude*

Background: Cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) are spectrally varied photoreceptors with diverse photoconversion mechanisms. Results: The photoinitiated conversion of CBCR Tlr0924 between states appears to proceed in two steps covering timescales from femtoseconds to seconds. Conclusion: The evidence presented suggests a less complex mechanism than in related photoreceptors. Significance: Knowledge of the full CBCR photoconversion is critical to future exploitation of the photoreceptor family. The coupling of photochemistry to protein chemical and structural change is crucial to biological light-activated signaling mechanisms. This is typified by cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs), members of the phytochrome superfamily of photoreceptors that exhibit a high degree of spectral diversity, collectively spanning the entire visible spectrum. CBCRs utilize a basic E/Z isomerization of the bilin chromophore as the primary step in their photocycle, which consists of reversible photoconversion between two photostates. Despite intense interest in these photoreceptors as signal transduction modules a complete description of light-activated chemical and structural changes has not been reported. The CBCR Tlr0924 contains both phycocyanobilin and phycoviolobilin chromophores, and these two species photoisomerize in parallel via spectrally and kinetically equivalent intermediates before the second step of the photoreaction where the reaction pathways diverge, the loss of a thioether linkage to a conserved cysteine residue occurs, and the phycocyanobilin reaction terminates in a red-absorbing state, whereas the phycoviolobilin reaction proceeds more rapidly to a final green-absorbing state. Here time-resolved visible transient absorption spectroscopy (femtosecond to second) has been used, in conjunction with time-resolved IR spectroscopy (femtosecond to nanosecond) and cryotrapping techniques, to follow the entire photoconversion of the blue-absorbing states to the green- and red-absorbing states of the full-length form of Tlr0924 CBCR. Our analysis shows that Tlr0924 undergoes an unprecedented long photoreaction that spans from picoseconds to seconds. We show that the thermally driven, long timescale changes are less complex than those reported for the red/far-red photocycles of the related phytochrome photoreceptors.
Declining Mortality From Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Changes in Incidence and Case Fatality From 1985 Through 2000

Background and Purpose— Northern Sweden has one of the highest incidence rates of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) among the populations covered by the WHO MONICA (Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease) Project, approximately twice as high as in the other populations in Europe. In this study, trends in incidence, 28-day case fatality (CF), and mortality in SAH were followed over a 16-year period. Methods— Since 1985, all SAHs in northern Sweden among patients 25 to 74 years old have been validated using strict MONICA criteria. From 1985 through 2000, 392 men and 592 women had SAH. During 3 years, 1997 to 1999, SAH among those aged 75 and older were also included. Results— The total incidence among those 25 years and older was 13.3 per 100 000 in men and 24.4 per 100 000 in women. During the 16 years of observation, age standardized incidence in the group aged 25 to 74 years decreased significantly in men (P for trend < 0.0001) but remained essentially unchanged in women (P for trend = 0.64). The 28-day CF for all years was 36.5% in men, with no significant trend (P = 0.7). In women, average CF was 35%, with a significant decline (P = 0.003). The annual mortality decreased significantly in both sexes (by 3.87 [95% CI±2.75 percentage points] in men and 3.97 [95% CI±2.29] in women). Conclusions— The decline in SAH mortality has different explanations in men (declining incidence) and in women (declining CF).