Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transferrin-polycation-mediated introduction of DNA into human leukemic cells: stimulation by agents that affect the survival of transfected DNA or modulate transferrin receptor levels.

We have subverted a receptor-mediated endocytosis event to transport genes into human leukemic cells. By coupling the natural iron-delivery protein transferrin to the DNA-binding polycations polylysine or protamine, we have created protein conjugates that bind nucleic acids and carry them into the cell during the normal transferrin cycle [Wagner, E. , Zenke, M. , Cotten, M. , Beug, H. & Birnstiel, M. L. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 3410-3414]. We demonstrate here that this procedure is useful for a human leukemic cell line. We enhanced the rate of gene delivery by (i) increasing the transferrin receptor density through treatment of the cells with the cell-permeable iron chelator desferrioxamine, (ii) interfering with the synthesis of heme with succinyl acetone treatment, or (iii) stimulating the degradation of heme with cobalt chloride treatment. Consistent with gene delivery as an endocytosis event, we show that the subsequent expression in K-562 cells of a gene included in the transported DNA depends upon the cellular presence of the lysosomotropic agent chloroquine. By contrast, monensin blocks "transferrinfection," as does incubation of the cells at 18 degrees C.
Affect, Attention, and Automation Affect and Information Processing Processing without Attention Affective State Influences the Information Processing Stages Consolidation and Working Memory Categorization and Judgment Affective State and Overall Information Processing Style

Human Performance (Wickens, 1984a) brought together the seemingly unrelated fields of cognitive psychology and engineering. This book and the two subsequent editions (Wickens, 1992; Wickens & Hollands, 2000) have had an enormous impact on engineering design and have garnered more than 780 citations in the scientific literature as of June 2005. One important contribution of this book was to relate the substantial theoretical and empirical results of psychology to engineering problems associated with human–technology interaction. Another important contribution was to demonstrate the important theoretical contributions of engineering to basic research. Engineering is not just an applied science. Engineering design challenges identify theoretical issues that might go unaddressed if theory is not forced to confront a broader reality. Applying psychology to design challenges identifies important theoretical gaps. The field of psychology often severs important connections in its efforts to address the daunting complexity of human behavior. One particularly important set of connections has to do with the influence of technology on behavior. Arguably, technology is what makes human cognition unique. Broadly considered, technology has coevolved with humans and it continues to define fundamental characteristics of human cognition. In the context of maritime navigation, Hutchins (1995) showed that cognition depends on tools, such as annotations on charts that help mariners determine the ship’s position. Such ins tances of distributed cognition increasingly govern the performance of complex sociotechnical systems (Hollan, Hutchins, & Kirsh, 2000). Engineering psychology demonstrates that understanding cognition requires an understanding of the connections between cognition and technology. As systems become increasingly complex, people are confronted with more dynamic, interconnected, and uncertain situations in which various forms of auto mation play an ever more central role (Parasu raman & Riley, 1997; Woods, 1988). Often people
Accurate assessment of waveform distortions up to 150 kHz due to fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps are among the most diffuse electrical components that introduce significant waveform distortions in low voltage distribution systems. These distortions involve a wide range of frequencies (i.e., from 0 kHz to 150 kHz), and spectral components characterized by a non-uniform behavior in time and frequency domains. Early IEC standards covered formally only the range from 0 kHz to 9 kHz, defining grouping and group total harmonic distortion both for the low-frequencies (i.e., from 0 kHz to 2 kHz) and for frequencies ranging from 2 kHz to 9 kHz. Recently, the IEC standards have suggested to extend the grouping, previously defined for the range from 2 kHz to 9 kHz, also to the range from 9 kHz to 150 kHz. In this paper, the waveform distortions of a variable number of fluorescent lamps were quantified by applying the main Power Quality indices currently available for such devices. Indices are evaluated using both the IEC method and an hybrid method proposed recently in the relevant literature, i.e., the sliding-window Wavelet-Modified ESPRIT method. Numerical applications on measured data show the waveform distortion levels versus the number of lamps, quantifying also the different performances of the aforesaid spectral analysis methods.
The dust‐eliminated shape of quasar spectra in the near‐infrared: a hidden part of the big blue bump

The near-infrared shape of the big blue bump component in quasar spectra has till now been essentially unknown. It usually cannot be observed directly, due to the strong hot dust emission that dominates quasar spectra longward of ∼1 μm. However, this is quite an important part of the spectrum theoretically. At least bare-disc models provide quite a robust prediction for the overall continuum shape in the near-infrared. Self-gravity should become important in the outer, near-infrared-emitting regions of the putative disc, possibly leaving a signature of disc truncation in the near-infrared. We propose here that this important part of the spectrum can be revealed for the first time by observing polarized flux from normal quasars. At least in some polarized quasars, the emission lines are all unpolarized and so the polarized flux should originate interior to the broad-line region, and therefore also interior to the dust-emitting region. This can then be used to eliminate the dust emission. We present the results of near-infrared polarimetry for three such quasars (Ton202,4C 37.43 and B2 1208+32). The data for Ton202 have the highest signal-to-noise ratio, and the near-infrared polarized flux in this case is measured to have quite a blue shape, F v ν +0.42±0.29 , intriguingly consistent with the simple multitemperature blackbody, bare-disc prediction of ν +1/3 . All these data, although still with quite low signal-to-noise ratio for the other two objects, demonstrate the unique potential of the technique with future better data. We also present similar data for other quasars and radio galaxies, and briefly discuss the nature of the polarization.
Density functional theory study of pristine and transition metal doped fullerene

Density functional theory (DFT) methodology have been used to investigate the global reactivity parameters and non-linear optical properties of pristine C20 and C19X (X = Fe, Co) fullerenes. We find that noticeable structural change takes place in C20 when one of its carbon atoms is substituted with Fe or Co. The energy gap of the doped fullerenes also decreases significantly making these more reactive as compared to C20. The negligible static first hyperpolarizability and zero dipole moment of C20 climb to a considerably higher value even for the presence of single dopant atom. Considering all the studied properties, it may be inferred that the applicability of C20 fullerene as a nanoelectronic and non-linear optical (NLO) material would increase on doping with Fe and Co atom. Specifically, C19Fe would be better among them.
The Role of Metformin Response in Lipid Metabolism in Patients with Recent-Onset Type 2 Diabetes: HbA1c Level as a Criterion for Designating Patients as Responders or Nonresponders to Metformin

Background In this study, we investigated whether response to metformin, the most frequently drug for diabetes treatment, influences the therapeutic effects of antilipidemic medication in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A total of 150 patients with T2DM were classified into two groups following 3 months of metformin therapy (1000 mg twice daily): responders (patients showing ≥1% reduction in HbA1c from baseline) and nonresponders (patients showing <1% reduction in HbA1c from baseline). The patients received atorvastatin 20 mg, gemfibrozil 300 mg, or atorvastatin 20 mg and gemfibrozil 300 mg daily. Principal Findings HbA1c and fasting glucose levels were significantly different between baseline and 3 months among responders receiving atorvastatin; however, these differences were not statistically significant in nonresponders. Atherogenic ratios of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C; p = 0.002), total cholesterol to HDL-C (TC/HDL-C; p<0.001) and AIP (the atherogenic index of plasma; p = 0.004) decreased significantly in responders receiving atorvastatin than in nonresponders. Moreover, responders receiving atorvastatin showed a significant increase in HDL-C levels but nonresponders receiving atorvastatin did not (p = 0.007). The multivariate model identified a significant association between metformin response (as the independent variable) and TG, TC, HDL-C and LDL-C (dependent variables; Wilk's λ = 0.927, p = 0.036). Conclusions Metformin response affects therapeutic outcomes of atorvastatin on atherogenic lipid markers in patients newly diagnosed with T2DM. Metformin has a greater impact on BMI in responders of metformin compared to nonresponders. Adoption of better therapeutic strategies for reducing atherogenic lipid markers may be necessary for metformin nonresponders.
A Novel Catalytic Function of Synthetic IgG‐Binding Domain (Z Domain) from Staphylococcal Protein A: Light Emission with Coelenterazine

The synthetic IgG‐binding domain (Z domain) of staphylococcal protein A catalyzes the oxidation of coelenterazine to emit light like a coelenterazine‐utilizing luciferase. The Z domain derivatives (ZZ‐gCys, Z‐gCys and Z‐domain) were purified and the luminescence properties were characterized by comparing with coelenterazine‐utilizing luciferases, including Renilla luciferase, Gaussia luciferase and the catalytic 19 kDa protein of Oplophorus luciferase. Three Z domain derivatives showed luminescence activity with coelenterazine and the order of the initial maximum intensity of luminescence was ZZ‐gCys (100%) > Z‐gCys (36.8%) > Z‐domain (1.1%) > bovine serum albumin (BSA; 0.9%) > staphylococcal protein A (0.1%) and the background value of coelenterazine (0.1%) in our conditions. The luminescence properties of ZZ‐gCys showed the similarity to that of Gaussia luciferase, including the luminescence pattern, the emission spectrum, the stimulation by halogen ions and nonionic detergents and the substrate specificity for coelenterazine analogues. In contrast, the luminescence properties of Z‐gCys were close to the catalytic 19 kDa protein of Oplophorus luciferase. The catalytic region of the Z domain for the luminescence reaction might be different from the IgG‐binding region of the Z domain.
Breaking bad news.

"Bad news" has been defined as any information which adversely and seriously affects an individual's view of his or her future; whether news is bad or not can only be in the eye of the beholder. [1]The news may be cancer but it may equally be Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, psoriasis, diabetes or any other lifealtering disease. It may be about a child who has brain damage or a serious congenital condition. One study found that 50% of parents were dissatisfied with the way they were told about their child's congenital deafness. [2]
A framework of rough reducts optimization based on PSO/ACO hybridized algorithms

Rough reducts has contributed significantly in numerous researches of feature selection analysis. It has been proven as a reliable reduction technique in identifying the importance of attributes set in an information system. The key factor for the success of reducts calculation in finding minimal reduct with minimal cardinality of attributes is an NP-Hard problem. This paper has proposed an improved PSO/ACO optimization framework to enhance rough reduct performance by reducing the computational complexities. The proposed framework consists of a three-stage optimization process, i.e. global optimization with PSO, local optimization with ACO and vaccination process on discernibility matrix.
Likelihood ratio tests for a dose‐response effect using multiple nonlinear regression models

We consider the problem of testing for a dose‐related effect based on a candidate set of (typically nonlinear) dose‐response models using likelihood‐ratio tests. For the considered models this reduces to assessing whether the slope parameter in these nonlinear regression models is zero or not. A technical problem is that the null distribution (when the slope is zero) depends on non‐identifiable parameters, so that standard asymptotic results on the distribution of the likelihood‐ratio test no longer apply. Asymptotic solutions for this problem have been extensively discussed in the literature. The resulting approximations however are not of simple form and require simulation to calculate the asymptotic distribution. In addition, their appropriateness might be doubtful for the case of a small sample size. Direct simulation to approximate the null distribution is numerically unstable due to the non identifiability of some parameters. In this article, we derive a numerical algorithm to approximate the exact distribution of the likelihood‐ratio test under multiple models for normally distributed data. The algorithm uses methods from differential geometry and can be used to evaluate the distribution under the null hypothesis, but also allows for power and sample size calculations. We compare the proposed testing approach to the MCP‐Mod methodology and alternative methods for testing for a dose‐related trend in a dose‐finding example data set and simulations.
UTILIZATION OF BIO-RENEWABLE LIGNIN IN BUILDING HIGH CAPACITY, DURABLE, AND LOW-COST SILICON-BASED NEGATIVE ELECTRODES FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES

OF DISSERTATION UTILIZATION OF BIO-RENEWABLE LIGNIN IN BUILDING HIGH CAPACITY, DURABLE, AND LOW-COST SILICON-BASED NEGATIVE ELECTRODES FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES Silicon-based electrodes are the most promising negative electrodes for the next generation high capacity lithium ion batteries (LIB) as silicon provides a theoretical capacity of 3579 mAh g, more than 10 times higher than that of the state-of-the-art graphite negative electrodes. However, silicon-based electrodes suffer from poor cycle life due to large volume expansion and contraction during lithiation/delithiation. In order to improve the electrochemical performance a number of strategies have been employed, such as dispersion of silicon in active/inactive matrixes, devising of novel nanostructures, and various coatings for protection. Amongst these strategies, silicon-carbon coating based composites are one of the most promising because carbon coating is comparatively flexible, easy to obtain, and scalable with various industrial processes. Low cost and renewable lignin, which constitutes up to 30% dry mass of the organic carbon on earth, is widely available from paper and pulp mills which produce lignin in excess of 50 million tons annually worldwide. It is a natural bio-polymer with high carbon content and highly interconnected aromatic network existing as a structural adhesive found in plants. Generally burnt for energy on site, lignin is gradually finding its way into high value-added products such as precursor for carbon fibers, active material in negative electrodes, and raw material for supercapacitors. This dissertation focuses on high performance silicon-based negative electrodes utilizing lignin as the carbon precursor for conductive additive, binder, and carbon coating. To my knowledge this is one of the first works attempting to utilize and summarize the performance of lignin in silicon-based negative electrodes. The first part of the dissertation shows that siliconlignin composites treated at 800 oC displayed good capacity and cycling performance. The second part goes to generalize the effect of temperature on silicon-lignin composites and shows that a low temperature treatment granted an electrode with superior performance and cycling properties owing to the preservation of polymeric properties of lignin. The final part of the dissertation discusses the current research trends in SiOx based negative electrodes and extends lignin to that field. This dissertation will, hopefully, provide knowledge and insight for fellow researchers wishing to utilize lignin or other renewable resources in devising advanced battery electrodes.
Experimental studies on the performance of multilayer coated carbide tool in hard turning of high strength low alloy steel

The aim of the present investigation is to identify the wear mechanisms of multilayer coated carbide tool under different machining conditions during turning of hardened AISI 4340 steel. The chemical vapor deposited multilayer coated (TiN/MT TiC,N/Al_2O_3) carbide tool was used. The worn surfaces of the cutting tools were examined under digital optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and elemental analysis. The investigation results showed a strong correlation between the cutting conditions and tool wear. The cutting speed and feed rate ensure the dominant effects on the tool wear followed by the depth of cut and also the progress of tool wear were verified under different intervals of time. The flank and rake faces of the cutting tool were severely gouged by the hard particles of workpiece material exhibited abrasive wear phenomenon. Intermittently, chipping at cutting edge, notching and catastrophic failure modes were observed in continuous machining.
Pneumonia in sheep in New Zealand: an overview

Abstract Extract Pneumonia is likely to have been a problem in sheep in New Zealand since they were first farmed intensively. The earliest record of the disease is provided by John Gilruth (1900), a pioneer of veterinary science in this country, who noted the occurrence of suppurative pneumonia and pleurisy in sheep slaughtered at an abattoir at the beginning of the last century. It was more than 50 years before significant new information was added to Gilruth's early observations, when Salisbury (1957) provided a detailed description of an outbreak of pneumonia in sheep in Southland. The disease he observed closely resembled an acute form of pneumonia recorded in Great Britain 20 years earlier (Montgomerie et al, 1938) which had been named enzootic pneumonia. Since then, confusion over the nomenclature of the ovine pneumonias has been an ongoing problem. The variety of terms used in New Zealand and overseas has been defined and tabulated (Alley 1991; Alley et al 1999).
A new cost-effective multi-drive solution based on a two-stage direct power electronic conversion topology

The matrix converter is a single stage AC/AC converter, which is able to provide sinusoidal PWM output voltages and input currents, inherent bi-directional power flow with no need of bulky DC-capacitors and large line inductors. However, the increased number of active switches (18) and the need of a protection circuit involving twelve diodes with full voltage/current ratings used only during faulty situations, makes this topology not so attractive. Lately, two stage direct power electronic conversion (DPEC) topologies have been proposed, providing similar functionality as a matrix converter but allowing for a reduction of power devices. In this paper, a new DPEC topology suited for multi-drive application is proposed, having an input port for a three-phase power supply and several output ports to connect three-phase loads, which are independently controlled. The cost of the rectification stage is therefore shared by many loads, making this topology more cost effective. The functionality of the proposed two-stage multi-drive direct power electronic conversion topology is validated by experiments on a realistic laboratory prototype.
The Degrees-of-Freedom of the  $K$-User Gaussian Interference Channel Is Discontinuous at Rational Channel Coefficients

The degrees-of-freedom of a K-user Gaussian interference channel (GIC) has been defined to be the multiple of (1/2)log 2 P at which the maximum sum of achievable rates grows with increasing power P. In this paper, we establish that the degrees-of-freedom of three or more user, real, scalar GICs, viewed as a function of the channel coefficients, is discontinuous at points where all of the coefficients are nonzero rational numbers. More specifically, for all K > 2, we find a class of K-user GICs that is dense in the GIC parameter space for which K/2 degrees-of-freedom are exactly achievable, and we show that the degrees-of-freedom for any GIC with nonzero rational coefficients is strictly smaller than K/2. These results are proved using new connections with number theory and additive combinatorics.
Esophageal Cancer Risk is Associated with Polymorphisms of DNA Repair Genes MSH2 and WRN in Chinese Population

Introduction: Normal function of DNA repair system is essential for the removal of damage induced by many kinds of internal and environmental agents. Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes associated with modified repair capacity may be related to the risk of developing esophageal cancer (EC). This article dealt whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms of DNA repair genes MSH2, WRN, and Ku70 potentially contributed to EC susceptibility. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study with 117 EC cases and 132 controls in a Chinese population was conducted. We genotyped three single-nucleotide polymorphisms MSH2 c.2063T>G, WRN c.4330T>C, and Ku70 c. -1310 C>G using polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism and then performed statistical analysis by calculating the adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Carriers of the MSH2 c.2063 G allele were at a higher risk of developing EC with the TT genotype as reference (OR = 4.53, 95% CI = 1.92–10.64, 33p = 0.001). Also for WRN c.4330T>C, individuals with at least one C allele (T/C or C/C) had a 2.21-fold increased risk for EC development compared with those who bore the T/T wild-type genotype (OR = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.06–4.59, 33p = 0.035). Moreover, statistically significant variant genotypic interaction was suggested between MSH2 and WRN as a result of a much increased predisposition to EC (33p = 0.016). No obvious correlation was observed between Ku70 c. -1310 CG and esophageal carcinogenesis (33p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings indicated that genetic variants in DNA repair pathways may be involved in esophageal tumorigenesis. MSH2 c.2063 G allele and WRN c.4330 C allele, not Ku70 c. -1310 CG, conferred risk for the process of developing EC.