Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Probing paracellular -versus transcellular tissue barrier permeability using a gut mucosal explant culture system

ABSTRACT Intestinal permeation enhancers (PEs), i.e. agents improving oral delivery of therapeutic drugs with poor bioavailability, may typically act by two principally different mechanisms: to increase either transcellular -or paracellular passage across the epithelium. With the aim to define these different modes of action in a small intestinal mucosal explant system, the transcellular-acting PE sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was compared to the paracellular-acting PE ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), using several fluorescent polar – and lipophilic probes. Here, SDS rendered the enterocyte cell membranes leaky for the relatively small polar tracers Lucifer yellow and a 3 kD Texas red-conjugated dextran, but most conspicuously SDS blocked constitutive endocytosis from the brush border. In contrast, the main action of EDTA was to increase paracellular passage across the epithelium of both polar probes, including 10 – and 70 kDa dextrans and lipophilic probes, visualized by distinct stripy lateral staining of enterocytes and/or accumulation in the lamina propria. In addition, EDTA caused a loss of epithelial cell polarity by opening tight junctions for diffusion of domain-specific basolateral/apical cell membrane protein markers into the opposite domains. By transmission electron microscopy, SDS caused the formation of vacuoles and vesicle-like structures at the lateral cell membranes. In contrast, EDTA led to a bulging of the whole enterocyte apex, resulting in a “cobblestone” appearance of the epithelium, probably caused by an extreme contraction of the perijunctional actomyosin ring. We conclude that the mucosal explant system is a convenient model for predicting transcellular/paracellular modes of action of novel prospective PEs.
Command filter‐based adaptive neural network controller design for uncertain nonsmooth nonlinear systems with output constraint

This paper investigates the command filter‐based adaptive neural network tracking control problem for uncertain nonsmooth nonlinear systems. First, an integral barrier Lyapunov function is introduced to deal with the symmetric output constraint and make the output comply with prescribed restrictions. Second, by the Filippov's differential inclusion theory and approximation theorem, the considered nonsmooth nonlinear system is converted to an equivalent smooth nonlinear system. Third, the Levant's differentiator is used to deal with the “explosion of complexity” problem. An error compensation mechanism is established to attenuate the effect of the filtering error on control performance. Then, an adaptive neural network controller is set up by resorting to the backstepping technique. It is strictly mathematically proved that the tracking error can converge to an arbitrarily small neighborhood of the origin and all the signals in the closed‐loop system are semi‐globally uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, a numerical example and an application example of the robotic manipulator system are provided to demonstrate the availability of the proposed control strategy.
The role of conservative forces in rotor aerodynamics

Abstract The theory to predict the performance and loads on rotors (propellers, screws, windmills) has a history of more than a century. Apart from modern computational fluid dynamics and vortex panel models taking the true blade geometry into account, most other models proceed from an infinitely thin actuator disc or line. These models assume an externally defined force field distributed at the disc or line, representing the loads on the real rotor. Given this force field, the flow is solved by momentum balances or by the equations of motion. The use of external force fields was discussed in textbooks of the first decades of the 20th century, but has received little attention since then. This paper investigates the higher-order effect of adding thickness to the actuator disc or changing the actuator line to a blade with cross-sectional dimensions. For the generation of a Rankine vortex by a force field acting on an actuator disc with thickness, an exact solution has been found in which not only the thrust and torque determine the flow, but also a radial force. This force is conservative, in contrast to the other force components. For rotor blades, a conservative normal and radial force acting on the chordwise bound vorticity is present. This explains the experimentally observed inboard motion of the tip vortex of model wind turbine rotors before the wake induction field drives it outboard. Simulations by computational fluid mechanics and a vortex panel code reproduce the inboard motion, but an actuator line analysis, in which the chordwise vorticity is absent, does not. The conservative load is only $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}1\mbox{--}2\, \%$ of the thrust on the entire blade but ${\approx }10\, \%$ of the thrust at the tip ( $r/R>0.9$ ). Conservative forces at the disc and rotor blade vanish for vanishing disc thickness or blade cross-section, so play no role in any of the infinitely thin actuator disc or line methods. However, if higher-order effects of non-zero dimensions are to be modelled, the conservative force field has to be included.
A new generalized p-value approach for testing equality of coefficients of variation in k normal populations

A new generalized p-value method is proposed for testing the equality of coefficients of variation in k normal populations. Simulation studies show that the type I error probabilities are close to the nominal level. The proposed test is also compared with likelihood ratio test, modified Bennett's test and score test through Monte Carlo simulation, the results demonstrate that the generalized p-value method has satisfactory performance in terms of sizes and powers.
CO2‐fixing liquid droplets: Towards a dissection of the microalgal pyrenoid

CO2 enters the biosphere via the slow, oxygen‐sensitive carboxylase, Rubisco. To compensate, most microalgae saturate Rubisco with its substrate gas through a carbon dioxide concentrating mechanism. This strategy frequently involves compartmentalization of the enzyme in the pyrenoid, a non‐membrane enclosed compartment of the chloroplast stroma. Recently, tremendous advances have been achieved concerning the structure, physical properties, composition and in vitro reconstitution of the pyrenoid matrix from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The discovery of the intrinsically disordered multivalent Rubisco linker protein EPYC1 provided a biochemical framework to explain the subsequent finding that the pyrenoid resembles a liquid droplet in vivo. Reconstitution of the corresponding liquid‐liquid phase separation using pure Rubisco and EPYC1 allowed a detailed characterization of this process. Finally, a large high‐quality dataset of pyrenoidal protein‐protein interactions inclusive of spatial information provides ample substrate for rapid further functional dissection of the pyrenoid. Integrating and extending recent advances will inform synthetic biology efforts towards enhancing plant photosynthesis as well as contribute a versatile model towards experimentally dissecting the biochemistry of enzyme‐containing membraneless organelles.
Effect of Bacillus aryabhattai H26-2 and B. siamensis H30-3 on Growth Promotion and Alleviation of Heat and Drought Stresses in Chinese Cabbage

Plants are exposed to biotic stresses caused by pathogen attack and complex abiotic stresses including heat and drought by dynamic climate changes. To alleviate these stresses, we investigated two bacterial stains, H26-2 and H30-3 in two cultivars (‘Ryeokkwang’ and ‘Buram-3-ho’) of Chinese cabbage in plastic pots in a greenhouse. We evaluated effects of bacterial strains on plant growth-promotion and mitigation of heat and drought stresses; the role of exopolysaccharides as one of bacterial determinants on alleviating stresses; biocontrol activity against soft rot caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum PCC21. Strains H26-2 and H30-3 significantly increased fresh weights compared to a MgSO4 solution; reduced leaf wilting and promoted recovery after re-watering under heat and drought stresses. Chinese cabbages treated with H26-2 and H30-3 increased leaf abscisic acid (ABA) content and reduced stomatal opening after stresses treatments, in addition, these strains stably colonized and maintained their populations in rhizosphere during heat and drought stresses. As well as tested bacterial cells, exopolysaccharides (EPS) of H30-3 could be one of bacterial determinants for alleviation of tested stresses in Chinese cabbages, however, the effects were different to cultivars of Chinese cabbages. In addition to bacterial activity to abiotic stresses, H30-3 could suppress incidence (%) of soft rot in ‘Buram-3-ho’. The tested strains were identified as Bacillus aryabhattai H26-2 and B. siamensis H30-3 based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Taken together, H26-2 and H30-3 could be candidates for both plant growth promotion and mitigation of heat and drought stresses in Chinese cabbage.
Asymptotic behavior of Hill's estimate and applications

The problem of estimating the exponent of a stable law is receiving an increasing amount of attention because Pareto's law (or Zipf's law) describes many biological phenomena very well (see e.g. Hill (1974)). This problem was first solved by Hill (1975), who proposed an estimate, and the convergence of that estimate to some positive and finite number was shown to be a characteristic of distribution functions belonging to the Fréchet domain of attraction (Mason (1982)). As a contribution to a complete theory of inference for the upper tail of a general distribution function, we give the asymptotic behavior (weak and strong) of Hill's estimate when the associated distribution function belongs to the Gumbel domain of attraction. Examples, applications and simulations are given.
The manufacturer’s encroachment strategy in the presence of the retailer’s in-store service

We examine the manufacturer’s encroachment strategy in the supply chain in the presence of the retailer’s in-store service. The manufacturer has the option of encroachment with a direct channel, and the retailer has the option of providing in-store service. If the retailer decides to offer service, it sets the service level. We show that in the presence of in-store service, the manufacturer is less likely to encroach on the retail market than in the absence of in-store service. The retailer always prefers to provide in-store service. If the manufacturer decides to encroach, it will strategically use its direct channel with no sales as a threat to the retailer, independent of whether or not the retailer provides in-store service. The retailer can be better off with manufacturer encroachment, but it can be worse off when consumer sensitivity to in-store service is very low. We show that the retailer can strategically employ in-store service to deter the manufacturer’s encroachment when the consumer sensitivity to in-store service is sufficiently high.
Measuring and Fostering Diversity in Affective Computing Research

This work presents a longitudinal study of diversity among the Affective Computing research community members. We explore several dimensions of diversity, including gender, geography, institutional types of affiliations and selected combinations of dimensions. We cover the last 10 years of the IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing (TAFFC) journal and the International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII), the primary sources of publications in Affective Computing. We also present an analysis of diversity among the members of the Association for the Advancement of Affective Computing (AAAC). Our findings reveal a “leaky pipeline” in the field, with a low –albeit slowly increasing over the years– representation of women. They also show that academic institutions clearly dominate publications, ahead of industry and governmental centres. In terms of geography, most publications come from the USA, contributions from Latin America or Africa being almost non-existent. Lastly, we find that diversity in the characteristics of researchers (gender and geographic location) influences diversity in the topics. To conclude, we analyse initiatives that have been undertaken in other AI-related research communities to foster diversity, and recommend a set of initiatives that could be applied to the Affective Computing field to increase diversity in its different facets. The diversity data collected in this work are publicly available, ensuring strict personal data protection and governance rules.
Three-dimensional plasma-based flow control simulations with high-fidelity coupled first-principles approaches

Numerical simulations are employed to understand flow control mechanisms of asymmetric dielectric barrier discharges in the context of a NACA 0015 wing section. The body force is obtained separately from phenomenological and first-principles based models, respectively. A procedure to couple unsteady force fields obtained from multi-fluid models to very high-fidelity implicit large-eddy simulations is developed, implemented and evaluated. The article discusses the effect of Reynolds number, angle of attack, actuator strength and location as well as unsteadiness at radio frequency excitation and wide-spectrum duty cycle variation. Turbulence structure, streamwise vorticity generation mechanisms and acoustic fields are described. The results are assimilated in the context of the combined impact of near wall momentum enhancement and transition to turbulence, which appear to be the dominant effects at low- and high-Reynolds numbers respectively.
Online health information seeking and the association with anxiety among older adults

Introduction The Internet supplies users with endless access to a wealth of information and is generally the first source searched by U.S. adults (18 years and older) when seeking health information. Age and anxiety are associated with online health information seeking (OHIS). Older adults (65 years and older) are increasing their OHIS. Importantly, OHIS can potentially lead to improved health outcomes for older adults. The relationship between OHIS and anxiety is less clear. Studies report those with more symptoms of anxiety are more likely to be OHIS, while other studies find the reverse pattern or no association. Generalized anxiety disorder affects up to 11% of older adults and is oftentimes unrecognized and untreated. Methods To address the mixed findings in the literature, we analyzed six waves (2015–2020) of data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study to assess the causal relationship between anxiety and OHIS using a Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Model framework. Results We found that while anxiety symptoms lead to OHIS in the next wave, OHIS was not associated with anxiety symptoms in the next wave. Discussion This suggests that for this sample of older adults, OHIS does not reduce or exacerbate older adults' symptoms of anxiety.
A meta-analysis: Effect of androgens on reproduction in sows

Introduction The mechanisms by which male hormones affect the development of ovaries and follicles has been studied by injecting exogenous androgens into sows. This may provide a reference for human polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and can also provide guidance for improving the litter size of sows. Methods We present a meta-analysis of studies published in the past 30 years on the effect of androgens on the ovulation rate of sows. A total of 517 papers were analyzed. Results The results showed that both testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) injected into sows were positively related to the ovulation rate. T did not have a relevant effect on swine in vivo blastocyst survival rate. DHT had a negative phase with respect to blastocyst survival rate. Pig T-androgen receiver affinity was higher than the analogous affinity for DHT; this is different in humans. This suggests that sows are not suitable as human PCOS experimental animal models. Discussion To improve the litter size of sows, future research should focus on the mixed use of T and DHT, and the timing of use should be consistent with the periodic changes in androgen levels in sows. In addition, the welfare of experimental sows should be considered with reference to the clinical symptoms of PCOS. Graphical Abstract In the figure, OR stands for ovulation rate. The initial purpose of this study was to determine whether androgens affect sow reproduction in swine. The meta-analysis results showed that testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are positively correlated with swine OR. T and DHT play different roles in regulating sow reproduction. This leads us to conclude that androgens affect pigs differently from humans. Then, T/DHT docking to androgen receptor binding affinity was compared. The findings were also different from those of human affinities. Finally, the following conclusions were drawn: in research on human PCOS, selecting pigs as animal models is not suitable, and to improve the litter sizes of sows, future research should focus on the mixed use of T and DHT.
The toroidal momentum diffusivity in a tokamak plasma: A comparison of fluid and kinetic calculations

Fluid and gyrokinetic calculations of the toroidal momentum diffusivity in a tokamak are compared. The four-moment gyrofluid model predicts the Prandtl number connected with the ion temperature gradient mode reasonably well provided the drift term is kept in the momentum balance. Without the drift term in the momentum balance, some previous gyrofluid models predicted small values of the Prandtl number in the range of experimental observations. It is shown that the drift term enters in the fluid equations through the gyroviscosity. Gyrokinetic calculations of the ion temperature gradient mode with kinetic electrons, and for experimentally relevant parameters yield a Prandtl number in the range 0.7–1.2.
An efficient parallel algorithm for planarization problem

A parallel algorithm for solving the planarization problem using a gradient ascent learning of Hopfield network is presented. This algorithm which is designed to embed a graph on a plane, uses the Hopfield neural network to get a near-maximal planar subgraph, and increase the energy by modifying weights in a gradient ascent direction to help the network escape from the state of the near-maximal planar subgraph to the state of the maximal planar subgraph or better one. The proposed algorithm is verified by a large number of simulation runs and compared with other parallel algorithms for the planarization problem. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can generate as good as or better solutions than the other existing parallel algorithm for the planarization problem.
Exponential Stabilization of Transverse Vibration and Trajectory Tracking for General In-Plane Motion of an Euler–Bernoulli Beam Via Two-Time Scale and Boundary Control Methods

In this paper, exponential stabilization of vibration of a flexible beam together with its general in-plane trajectory tracking is presented. Coupled beam dynamics including beam vibration (flexible/fast subsystem) and its rigid in-plane motion (rigid/slow subsystem) takes place in two different time domains. Therefore, to have the beam track a desired trajectory while suppressing its vibration by an exponential rate of decay a composite control scheme is elaborated by two-time scale (TTS) control theory. This control law has two parts: one is a tracking controller designed for the rigid subsystem based on inverse dynamic law, and the other one is an exponential stabilizing controller for the flexible subsystem based on boundary control (BC) laws. Exponential stabilization is proved by using a metric containing kinetic and potential energies of the fast subsystem and by feedback of the rate of deflection and the slope at one end of the beam. Simulation results show that fast BC is able to remove undesirable vibration of the flexible beam and together with the slow inverse controller is able to provide very good trajectory tracking with acceptable actuating forceslmoments. Also, they illustrate that tracking errors and the vibration amplitude are decreased versus time by the fast exponential stabilizing control law compared with an asymptotic stabilizing control law.
Antimicrobial Properties of TiNbSn Alloys Anodized in a Sulfuric Acid Electrolyte

TiNbSn alloy is a high-performance titanium alloy which is biosafe, strong, and has a low Young’s modulus. TiNbSn alloy has been clinically applied as a material for orthopedic prosthesis. Anodized TiNbSn alloys with acetic and sulfuric acid electrolytes have excellent biocompatibility for osseointegration. Herein, TiNbSn alloy was anodized in a sulfuric acid electrolyte to determine the antimicrobial activity. The photocatalytic activities of the anodic oxide alloys were investigated based on their electronic band structure and crystallinity. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the anodized TiNbSn alloy was evaluated using cell lines of the osteoblast and fibroblast lineages. The antimicrobial activity of the anodic oxide alloy was assessed according to the ISO 27447 using methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The anodic oxide comprised rutile and anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) and exhibited a porous microstructure. A well-crystallized rutile TiO2 phase was observed in the anodized TiNbSn alloy. The methylene blue degradation tests under ultraviolet illumination exhibited photocatalytic activity. In antimicrobial tests, the anodized TiNbSn alloy exhibited robust antimicrobial activities under ultraviolet illumination for all bacterial species, regardless of drug resistance. Therefore, the anodized TiNbSn alloy can be used as a functional biomaterial with low Young’s modulus and excellent antimicrobial activity.
Late Palaeozoic final subduction records of the southwestern Paleo-Asian Ocean revealed by ca. 286–283 Ma basaltic rocks in the West Junggar, NW China

ABSTRACT The late Early Permian basaltic rocks in the West Junggar of northwest China provide a critical geological record for revealing the termination of the Late Palaeozoic final-stage subduction history of the southwestern Palaeo-Asian Ocean. With the aim of providing constraints on the late stage of the Late Palaeozoic geodynamic evolution of the southwestern Altaids, an integrated study of detailed field observation, geochronology and geochemistry has been carried out on the Early Permian basaltic rocks from the Hala’alate Mountain of the southern West Junggar. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of four basaltic andesites suggests that they were erupted during the late Early Permian with ages of ca. 286–283 Ma, coeval with the neighbouring mafic diabase stock and gabbroic dyke swarms. The basaltic rocks have low SiO2 and moderate MgO contents, with low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios (0.70397–0.70447) and high positive εNd(t) values (+5.94–+7.19), and also show remarkable enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (Ba, U, K, Pb, Sr) and prominent depletion in high field strength elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Ti), indicating that they were originated from the partial melting of a garnet-dominant with minor spinel lherzolitic depleted mantle source previously metasomatized by slab-derived fluids and subducted sediments. These basaltic rocks were most likely formed in a fore-arc extensional setting in response to the slab retreat of the Junggar oceanic slab during the mid-late stage of Early Permian. Combined with previously published regional achievements, our new results support that the down-going of the remnant oceanic slab and the resultant arc magmatic activity of the southern West Junggar probably continued until the ca. 283 Ma, and the closure of the West Junggar branch of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean should be later than the late Early Permian.