Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The pH-Dependent Properties of the Biphasic Calcium Phosphate for Bone Cements

Self-setting calcium phosphate cement (CPC) has been used in bone repair and substitution due to their excellent biocompatibility, bioactive as well as simplicity of preparation and use. The inherent brittleness and slow degradation are the major disadvantages for the use of calcium phosphate cements. To improve the degradation for the traditional CPC, the apatite cement formula incorporated with β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) with varying concentration were studied and the effect of the pH value of liquid phase on the properties of this new calcium phosphate cement formula was evaluated. The apatite cements containing β-TCP for 10 and 40 wt. % were mixed into the aqueous solution with different pH values and then aging in absolute humidity at 37°C for 7 days. The setting time and phase analysis of the biphasic calcium phosphate were determined as compared to the apatite cement. For proper medical application, the compressive strength, the phase analysis and the degradation of the CPC samples at pH 7.0 and 7.4 were evaluated after soaking in the simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37°C for 7 days. The results indicated that the properties of the samples such as the setting time, the compressive strength related to the phase analysis of the set cements. The high degradation of the CPC was found in the cement with increasing β-TCP addition due to the phase after setting. Apatite formation with oriented plate-like morphology was also found to be denser on the surface of the biphasic bone cements after soaking in SBF for 7 days. The obtained results indicated that the cement containing β-TCP mixed with the liquid phase at pH 7.4 could be considered as a highly biodegradable and bioactive bone cement, as compared to the traditional CPC.
Mathematical Models in Cellular Biophysics

Calcium (Ca2+) oscillations play fundamental roles in various cell signaling processes and have been the subject of numerous modeling studies. Here we have implemented a general mathematical model to simulate the impact of store-operated Ca2+ entry on intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. In addition, we have compared two different models of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor (IP3R) and their influences on intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. Store-operated Ca2+ entry following Ca2+ depletion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important component of Ca2+ signaling. We have developed a phenomenological model of store-operated Ca2+ entry via store-operated Ca2+ (SOC) channels, which are activated upon ER Ca2+ depletion. The depletion evokes a bi-phasic Ca2+ signal, which is also produced in our mathematical model. The IP3R is an important regulator of intracellular Ca2+ signals. This IP3 sensitive Ca2+ channel is also regulated by Ca2+. We apply two IP3R models, the Mak-McBride-Foskett model and the De Young and Keizer model, with significantly different channel characteristics. Our results show that the two separate IP3R models evoke intracellular Ca2+ oscillations with different frequencies and amplitudes. Store-operated Ca2+ entry affects the oscillatory behavior of these intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. The IP3 threshold is altered when store-operated Ca2+ entry is excluded from the model. Frequencies and amplitudes of intracellular Ca2+ oscillations are also altered without store-operated Ca2+ entry. Under certain conditions, when intracellular Ca2+ oscillations are absent, excluding store-operated Ca2+ entry induces an oscillatory response. These findings increase knowledge concerning store-operated Ca2+ entry and its impact on intracellular Ca2+ oscillations.
Glycosylation of Plasma Protein and its Relation to Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Diabetes

Glycosylation of plasma proteins was studied in diabetic and normal subjects by an adaptation of a thiobarbituric acid method previously used for glycosylated hemoglobin. There was a highly significant correlation between the degree of glycosylation in vivo of plasma protein and hemoglobin. The process of glycosylation depended on time and temperature and was not mediated enzymatically. Plasma protein of all molecular sizes could be glycosylated. At 37°C, 4.6% of 14C-glucose became attached to plasma protein after 24 h of incubation in vitro; no difference between normal and diabetic plasma protein could be demonstrated. After glycosylation, glucose dissociated from protein slowly; 72% remained attached after dialysis for 24 h. As an estimate of diabetic control, measurement of glycosylation of plasma protein is a suitable alternative to determination of glycosylated hemoglobin. Results of each method correlated equally well with the degree of diabetic control when this was assessed by calculation of the M-factor, mean plasma glucose concentrations, or variance of the plasma glucose determinations. In hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinopathy, and recent transfusion, measurement of glycosylation of plasma protein may be more accurate than that of glycosylated hemoglobin. It may also provide an estimate of diabetic control between that provided by short-term blood glucose determination and long-term glycosylated hemoglobin.
FlyEx, the quantitative atlas on segmentation gene expression at cellular resolution

The datasets on gene expression are the valuable source of information about the functional state of an organism. Recently, we have acquired the large dataset on expression of segmentation genes in the Drosophila blastoderm. To provide efficient access to the data, we have developed the FlyEx database (http://urchin.spbcas.ru/flyex). FlyEx contains 4716 images of 14 segmentation gene expression patterns obtained from 1579 embryos and 9 500 000 quantitative data records. Reference data are available for all segmentation genes in cycles 11–13 and all temporal classes of cycle 14A. FlyEx supports operations on images of gene expression patterns. The database can be used to examine the quality of data, analyze the dynamics of formation of segmentation gene expression domains, as well as to estimate the variability of gene expression patterns. Currently, a user is able to monitor and analyze the dynamics of formation of segmentation gene expression domains over the whole period of segment determination, that amounts to 1.5 h of development. FlyEx supports the data downloads and construction of personal reference datasets, that makes it possible to more effectively use and analyze data.
The Research on Classified Construction Mode of Manufacturing Enterprise Logistics Informatization

Logistics informatization construction is vital to development of manufacturing enterprises. Choosing appropriate logistics informatization construction mode can make manufacturing enterprise save investment under the premise of ensuring their business requirements. Firstly, the paper divided manufacturing enterprises into process manufacturing enterprises, discrete manufacturing enterprises and hybrid manufacturing enterprises in accordance with the organization way of the production process; according to the scale they can be divided into micro-manufacturing enterprises, small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises and large (including group) manufacturing enterprises. Then summed up the main logistics informatization mode and generalized the construction mode of logistics informationization as follows: purchasing commercial software mode, enterprise independent development mode, outsourcing development mode, leasing mode and cooperative development mode. Finally studied different types of manufacturing enterprises should adopt what kind of construction mode of logistics informationization.
Measurement of moisture content in photovoltaic panel encapsulants using spectroscopic optical coherence tomography: a feasibility study

EVA, a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate, is a common encapsulant material used in silicon-based PV modules. It contributes to the structural integrity of the modules, provides electrical insulation and also acts as an environmental barrier. However, water can diffuse through EVA into the modules, leading to swelling and chemical degradation, which can impact interfacial bonds, leading to delamination and allowing more ingress to occur that can eventually end up in accelerated corrosion and device failure. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gravimetric techniques have been used to quantify water concentration and the diffusion coefficient in free standing EVA films. However, these techniques cannot be applied to measure water content in PV modules deployed in the field, as the encapsulant is usually between a glass front sheet and a back sheet made of glass or multilayered films. In this paper we study the feasibility of combining FTIR and spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT) to measure water concentration of the EVA layer inside the modules. SOCT provides depth resolved spectral information and thus has the potential of measuring water absorption at different layers in the PV module. These depth-resolved measurements are necessary to inform predictive models developed to study the structural integrity, stability and durability of PV modules. The fundamental principle of the technique is explained, the optimum spectral ranges are identified and the feasibility of a SOCT system is discussed based on light source and detector characteristics. Other strategies are also considered.
Educational Choice and Information on Labor Market Prospects : A Randomized Field Experiment ⇤

We examine the impact of an information intervention o↵ered to 97 randomly chosen high schools in Finland. Roughly 3,500 graduating students were surveyed and given information on the labor market prospects related to detailed educational degrees. Survey evidence suggests that the intervention led to information updating. However, we find no impact on the average actual applications or enrollment. The only group that appears to change their application portfolios are male students from low educated backgrounds, but even for them, we find no impact on enrollment. These results cast doubt on the hypothesis that lack of information on labor market prospects plays an important role in shaping educational choice. JEL codes: J24, I23
Formal Methods for Quality of Service Analysis in Component-Based Distributed Computing

Component-Based Software Architecture is a promising solution for realizing distributed computing systems. To develop high quality software for such systems, an analysis of non-functional aspects of the software properties (also called Quality of Service or QoS) is very important. The UniFrame research project defines a Unified Meta-Component Model Framework (UniFrame) that includes a notion of QoS contracts. A classification of Quality of Service parameters, both static and dynamic, relevant to component-based distributed computing is developed and represented formally using Two-Level Grammar (TLG), an object-oriented formal specification language. TLG may be transformed into both a UML model, augmented with OCL constraints, and executable code in the Java programming language. This may be regarded as standardized code for implementation of the distributed application with dynamic measurement of the Quality of Service aspects incorporated. The approach is consistent with OMG's Model Driven Architecture (MDA) in that QoS properties may be specified at the Platform Independent Model (PIM) level and then carried down to the Platform Specific Model (PSM) level in implementation.
Maturity Levels for E-commerce Adoption among Australian Retailers

This study investigates the maturity levels of E-commerce (EC) among Australian retailers through developing a model that incorporates the possible levels of EC adoption by retailers and the factors that influence the adoption of each level using combination of the SOG model and the TOE framework. The findings show that some retailers reach a stagnation point in their EC adoption and are unlikely to proceed further. In addition, the analysis suggests that the defined levels are influenced by environmental and organizational factors. However, these factors were found to have a different effect on each level. The proposed model will be a useful tool for retail organisations to understand the current state of EC initiatives and to help them develop their EC business strategies.
Research Article Factors Associated with Women's Chronic Disease Management: Associations of Healthcare Frustrations, Physician Support, and Self-care Needs

Previous research emphasizes the importance of reducing healthcare frustrations and enhancing physician supports to help patients engage in recommended healthcare regimens. However, less is known about how these factors are associated with aging women's knowledge about self-care behavior. This study examined the sociodemographics, health indicators, healthcare-related frustrations, and perceptions of physician support associated with middle-aged and older adult females' self-reported need for help to learn how to take better care of their health. Data were analyzed from 287 females with one or more chronic conditions who completed The National Council on Aging (NCOA) Chronic Care Survey. A logistic regression model was developed. Women who were non-White (OR = 2.26, í µí± = 0.049) were more likely to need help learning how to better manage their health. Those who had some college education or more (OR = 0.55, í µí± = 0.044) and lower healthcare-related frustrations (OR = 0.44, í µí± = 0.017) and perceived to have more physician support (OR = 0.49, í µí± = 0.033) were less likely to need help learning how to better manage their health. Findings can inform the planning, implementation, assessment, and dissemination of evidence-based self-management programs for middle-aged and older women within and outside of clinical settings.
Probabilistic multichannel optical flow analysis based on a multipurpose visual representation of image sequences

Directional filters are not normally used as pre-filters for optical flow estimation because orientation selectivity tends to increase the aperture problem. Despite this fact, here we apply a subband decomposition using directional spatio-temporal filters at different resolution to discriminate multiple motions at the same location. We first obtain multiple estimates of the velocity by applying the classic gradient constraint to the output of each filter. Spatio-temporal gradients of GD2 channel response are easily obtained as linear combinations of the set of 10 separable GD3 channel responses, which constitutes a multipurpose scheme for visual representation of image sequences. Then, we obtain an overdetermined linear system by imposing local constant velocity. This system is solved by least-squares yielding an estimate of the velocity and its covariance matrix. After segmenting the resulting 6 X 3 velocity estimates we combine them using Bayesian probability rules. Segmentation maintains the ability to represent multiple motions, while the combination of estimates reduces the aperture problem. Results for synthetic and real sequences are highly satisfactory. Mean errors in complex standard sequences are below those provided by most published methods.
Monitoring safety of liposomes containing rifampicin on respiratory cell lines and in vitro efficacy against Mycobacterium bovis in alveolar macrophages

Rifampicin-encapsulated liposome suspensions were prepared by a chloroform-film method and converted to dry powders by freeze-drying with mannitol as a cryoprotectant. The liposome suspension had multilamellar nanovesicles with 50% rifampicin encapsulation. The liposome dry powder comprised particles with a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 3.4 μm, with 60% present as a fine particle fraction. Rifampicin-encapsulated liposomes were evidently nontoxic to respiratory associated cells, including bronchial epithelial cells, small airway epithelial and alveolar macrophages (AMs). Furthermore, the liposomes did not activate AMs to produce interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nitric oxide at a level that would cascade to other inflammatory effects. The minimum inhibitory concentrations against Mycobacterium bovis was 0.2 and 0.8 μM for liposomes containing rifampicin and free rifampicin, respectively. The less negatively charged reconstituted liposome displayed the greatest activity against intracellular growth of M. bovis.
Application of Multi-Sensors Information Fusion for Self-protection System of Robot

This paper developed a kind of robot self-protection system using the multi-sensors information fusion technology. This system used five groups of photoelectric sensor and ultrasonic sensor which were installed in different direction of the robot. In this study, signals were gathered by using the complement of ranging of photoelectric sensor and ultrasonic sensor. Then the signals were sent to MCU to achieve multi-sensors information fusion.Core fusion technology was the adaptive weighted fusion estimation algorithm, which can make measurement data more accurate. With such technology, an accurate robot self-protection command was made as to avoid obstacles, to judge narrow highland and to prevent dropping. The experiment results validated its good self-protection function. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i3. 2312 Full Text: PDF
On ε-Biased Generators in NC

Cryan and Miltersen [8] recently considered the question of whether there can be a pseudorandom generator in NC, that is, a pseudorandom generator that maps n-bit strings to m-bit strings such that every bit of the output depends on a constant number k of bits of the seed. They show that for k = 3, if m ≥ 4n + 1, there is a distinguisher; in fact, they show that in this case it is possible to break the generator with a linear test, that is, there is a subset of bits of the output whose XOR has a noticeable bias. They leave the question open for k ≥ 4. In fact they ask whether every NC generator can be broken by a statistical test that simply XORs some bits of the input. Equivalently, is it the case that no NC generator can sample an ε-biased space with negligible ε? We give a generator for k = 5 that maps n bits into cn bits, so that every bit of the output depends on 5 bits of the seed, and the XOR of every subset of the bits of the output has bias 2−Ω(n/c 4). For large values of k, we construct generators that map n bits to n √ k) bits such that every XOR of outputs has bias 2−n 1 2 √ k . We also present a polynomial-time distinguisher for k = 4,m ≥ 24n having constant distinguishing probability. For large values of k we show that a linear distinguisher with a constant distinguishing probability exists once m ≥ Ω(2kndk/2e). Finally, we consider a variant of the problem where each of the output bits is a degree k polynomial in the inputs. We show there exists a degree k = 2 pseudorandom generator for which the XOR of every subset of the outputs has bias 2−Ω(n) and which maps n bits to Ω(n) bits.
Cell Culture Adaptation of Hepatitis C Virus and In Vivo Viability of an Adapted Variant

ABSTRACT Production of infectious hepatitis C virus in cell culture has become possible because of the unique properties of the JFH1 isolate. However, virus titers are rather low, limiting the utility of this system. Here we describe the generation of cell culture-adapted JFH1 variants yielding higher titers of infectious particles and enhanced spread of infection in cultured cells. Sequence analysis of adapted genomes revealed a complex pattern of mutations that differed in two independent experiments. Adaptive mutations were observed both in the structural and in the nonstructural regions, with the latter having the highest impact on enhancement of virus titers. The major adaptive mutation was identified in NS5A, and it enhanced titers of three intergenotypic chimeras consisting of the structural region of a genotype 1a, 1b, or 3a isolate and the remainder of the JFH1 isolate. The mutation resides at the P3 position of the NS5A-B cleavage site and slows down processing, implying that subtle differences in replication complex formation appear to determine the efficiency of virus formation. Highly adapted JFH1 viruses carrying six mutations established a robust infection in uPA-transgenic SCID mice xenografted with human hepatocytes. However, the mutation in NS5A which enhanced virus titers in cell culture the most had reverted to wild type in nearly half of the viral genomes isolated from these animals at 15 weeks postinoculation. These results argue for some level of impaired fitness of this mutant in vivo.
Learning Mahalanobis Distance Metric: Considering Instance Disturbance Helps

Mahalanobis distance metric takes feature weights and correlation into account in the distance computation, which can improve the performance of many similarity/dissimilarity based methods, such as kNN. Most existing distance metric learning methods obtain metric based on the raw features and side information but neglect the reliability of them. Noises or disturbances on instances will make changes on their relationships, so as to affect the learned metric. In this paper, we claim that considering disturbance of instances may help the metric learning approach get a robust metric, and propose the Distance metRIc learning Facilitated by disTurbances (DRIFT) approach. In DRIFT, the noise or the disturbance of each instance is learned. Therefore, the distance between each pair of (noisy) instances can be better estimated, which facilitates side information utilization and metric learning. Experiments on prediction and visualization clearly indicate the effectiveness of DRIFT.
Performance of Amplify-and-Forward and Decode-and-Forward Relays in LTE-Advanced

Current broadband wireless networks are characterized by large cell sizes. Yet, even in advanced networks, users on the cell edge will face relatively low Signal-to- Interference-plus-Noise-Ratio (SINR). An attractive solution for this problem is provided by multi-hop technologies. In this paper, we consider the performance of full duplex Amplify-and- Forward (AF) and half duplex Decode-and-Forward (DF) Relay Nodes (RNs) from 3G LTE-Advanced perspective. The comparison between AF and DF relaying is important because both approaches are currently under consideration in LTE- Advanced study item in 3GPP. Performance evaluation considers AF RN loop back signal interference and concurrent DF RN transmissions on the access link. Results show that the concurrent transmissions improve the spectral efficiency for DF RN over performing AF RN.