Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Profiling of Plasma from Benign and Malignant Pulmonary Nodules Patients Using Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics

Solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN or coin lesion) is a mass in the lung and can be commonly found in chest X-rays or computerized tomography (CT) scans. However, despite the advancement of imaging technologies, it is still difficult to distinguish malignant cancer from benign SPNs. Here we investigated the metabolic profiling of patients with benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. A combination of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was used to profile the plasma metabolites in 17 patients with malignant SPNs, 15 patients with benign SPNs and 20 healthy controls. The metabolic profiles were assayed using OPLS-DA, and further analyzed to identify marker metabolites related to diseases. Both GC/MS- and LC/MS-derived models showed clear discriminations in metabolic profiles among three groups. It was found that 63 metabolites (12 from GC/MS, 51 from LC/MS) contributed to the differences. Of these, 48 metabolites showed same change trend in both malignant and benign SPNs as compared with healthy controls, indicating some common pathways including inflammation and oxidative injury shared by two diseases. In contrast, 14 metabolites constituted distinct profiles that differentiated malignant from benign SPNs, which might be a unique biochemical feature associated with lung cancer. Overall, our data suggested that integration of two highly sensitive and complementary metabolomics platforms could enable a comprehensive metabolic profiling and assist in discrimination malignant from benign SPNs.
Dynamic partition and replication algorithm for storage capacity limited distributed social network

Large scale online social networks (OSN) are usually based on distributed storage systems. The data of users are distributed on multiple storage and computing nodes to provide concurrency and redundancy. How to store and access user data efficiently in OSN system with limited storage has practical significance. This paper proposes a dynamic partitioning and replication algorithm, which partitions and replicates user data periodically in line with the frequency of user interaction, in order to improve local access ratio and reduce system communication load. Through experiment on a real-world dataset, this paper testifies that compared with random partitioning and replication, the proposed algorithm could improve local access ratio greatly, and finally reduce access latency.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Niche-Malaysian Teacher Leadership Measurement Model

Teacher leadership is an increasingly popular concept to be implemented and utilized by practitioners and researches in their studies. Thus, the study aimed to determine the relevancy and applicability of Niche-Malaysian Teacher Leadership (NMTL) measurement model in Malaysian context. The NMTL measurement model which was originally consisted of 34 items with 7 principles, may address an early indication of the teacher leadership standards in the Malaysian classrooms. It was generated through literature review and comprehensive discussions with a group of schoolteachers. The measurement model was then distributed to the 169 schoolteachers, who were required to respond to a 7-point Likert scale. The respondents were selected through purposive sampling procedure. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0 and Amos version 22.0 software packages. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted prior to performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Thus, the NMTL measurement model should be able to clarify the standard of teachersâ€™ leadership in Malaysian classrooms. Implications for the use of this instrument for further research are also explored.
CloudRidAR: a cloud-based architecture for mobile augmented reality

Mobile augmented reality (MAR) has exploded in popularity on mobile devices in various fields. However, building a MAR application from scratch on mobile devices is complicated and time-consuming. In this paper, we propose CloudRidAR, a framework for MAR developers to facilitate the development, deployment, and maintenance of MAR applications with little effort. Despite of advance in mobile devices as a computing platform, their performance for MAR applications is still very limited due to the poor computing capability of mobile devices. In order to alleviate the problem, our CloudRidAR is designed with cloud computing at the core. Computational intensive tasks are offloaded on cloud to accelerate computation in order to guarantee run-time performance. We also present two MAR applications built on CloudRidAR to evaluate our design.
Bisimulation can't be traced

Bisimulation is the primitive notion of equivalence between concurrent processes in Milner's Calculus of Communicating Systems (CCS); there is a nontrivial game-like protocol for distinguishing nonbisimular processes. In contrast, process distinguishability in Hoare's theory of Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP) is determined solely on the basis of traces of visible actions. We examine what additional operations are needed to explain bisimulation similarly—specifically in the case of finitely branching processes without silent moves. We formulate a general notion of Structured Operational Semantics for processes with Guarded recursion (GSOS), and demonstrate that bisimulation does not agree with trace congruence with respect to any set of GSOS-definable contexts. In justifying the generality and significance of GSOS's, we work out some of the basic proof theoretic facts which justify the SOS discipline.
Adolescents' perceptions of family communication patterns and some aspects of their consumer socialization

This study examined the effects of family communication patterns (FCP) on adolescent consumers' decision-making styles and influence in family purchase decisions. Two underlying dimensions of FCP (concept-orientation and socio-orientation) were measured separately for mother–child communication and father–child communication and regressed on adolescents' use of the selected decision-making styles and influence in purchase decisions involving durable products and nondurable products for their own use. Results show that only mother–child communication patterns have significant associations with adolescents' decision-making styles and family purchase influence. Specifically, mothers' concept-oriented communication was positively linked to children's use of utilitarian decision-making styles (e.g., careful and deliberate decision making) and social/conspicuous decision-making styles (e.g., recreational and hedonic decision making) as well as to children's influence in family purchase decisions involving both durable and nondurable products for themselves. On the other hand, mothers' socio-oriented communication was linked positively to children's use of undesirable decision-making styles (e.g., confusion by overchoice) and negatively to children's influence in family purchase decisions. This study also investigated the presence (or absence) of a same-gender effect in the relationships between parent–child communication orientations and children's consumer socialization outcome. If present, a same-gender effect would be indicated by a greater influence from the same-sex parent's communication orientations on the adolescent's decision-making styles and influence in family decisions relative to that of the opposite-- sex parent's communication orientations. Comparisons of the two gender-group regression results revealed no systematic pattern that suggests the presence of such an effect. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Motion Planning for Multilink Robots by Implicit Configuration-Space Tiling

We study the problem of motion-planning for free-flying multilink robots and develop a sampling-based algorithm that is specifically tailored for the task. Our approach exploits the fact that the set of configurations for which the robot is self-collision free is independent of the obstacles or of the exact placement of the robot. This allows for decoupling between costly self-collision checks on the one hand, which we do off-line (and can even be stored permanently on the robot's controller), and collision with obstacles on the other hand, which we compute in the query phase. Our algorithm suggests more flexibility than the prevailing paradigm in which a precomputed roadmap depends both on the robot and on the scenario at hand. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on open and closed-chain multi-link robots, where in some settings our algorithm is more than fifty times faster than commonly used, as well as state-of-the-art solutions.
Targeting Curcusomes to Inflammatory Dendritic Cells Inhibits NF-κB and Improves Insulin Resistance in Obese Mice

OBJECTIVE To determine whether and by what mechanism systemic delivery of curcumin-containing liposomes improves insulin resistance in the leptin deficient (ob/ob) mouse model of insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Insulin resistant ob/ob mice with steatosis were injected intraperitoneally with liposome nanoparticles, entrapping the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) inhibitor curcumin (curcusomes), and uptake in liver and adipose tissue was determined by flow cytometry. The effects of curcusomes on macrophage NF-κB activation and cytokine production were assessed. Transfer experiments determined the role of hepatic tumor necrosis factor (TNF)/inducible nitric oxide synthase-producing dendritic cells (Tip-DCs) and adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) in inflammation-induced insulin resistance, determined by homeostatic assessment of insulin resistance. RESULTS Phagocytic myeloid cells infiltrating the liver in ob/ob mice had the phenotypic characteristics of Tip-DCs that arise from monocyte precursors in the liver and spleen after infection. Targeting Tip-DCs and ATMs with curcusomes in ob/ob mice reduced NF-κB/RelA DNA binding activity, reduced TNF, and enhanced interleukin-4 production. Curcusomes improved peripheral insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS Both hepatic Tip-DCs and ATMs contribute to insulin resistance in ob/ob mice. Curcusome nanoparticles inhibit proinflammatory pathways in hepatic Tip-DCs and ATMs and reverse insulin resistance. Targeting inflammatory DCs is a novel approach for type 2 diabetes treatment.
Optimal power allocation for secondary users in cognitive relay networks

We consider a cognitive relay network (CRN) where the secondary users (SUs) are involved as cooperative relays in a primary user's (PU) communication. To avoid generating interference to PU transmissions, it is assumed that SUs can transmit only when the PU's channel is idle. On one hand, SUs use some relay powers to speed up the PU's transmissions. Consequently, PU's buffer will be depleted faster, resulting in more channel idle times (i.e., more transmission opportunities for SUs). On the other hand, due to the energy limit, less power can be used for SU's own transmissions if it uses too much power on relaying. Thus, an optimal power allocation strategy is necessary to address this tradeoff. In this paper, the power allocation problem for both single-SU case and multiple-SU case is investigated. The former is formulated as a utility maximization problem, while the latter is modeled as a non-cooperative game. The existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium (NE) are proved, and the impact of different system parameters on NE is comprehensively analyzed through numerical results.
Exposure of two Eutrema salsugineum (Thellungiella salsuginea) accessions to water deficits reveals different coping strategies in response to drought.

Eutrema salsugineum is an extremophile related to Arabidopsis. Accessions from Yukon, Canada and Shandong, China, were evaluated for their tolerance to water deficits. Plants were exposed to two periods of water deficit separated by an interval of re-watering and recovery. All plants took the same time to wilt during the first drought exposure but Yukon plants took 1 day longer than Shandong plants following the second drought treatment. Following re-watering and turgor recovery, solute potentials of Shandong leaves returned to predrought values while those of Yukon leaves were lower than predrought levels consistent with having undergone osmotic adjustment. Polar metabolites profiled in re-watered plants showed that different metabolites are accumulated by Yukon and Shandong plants recovering from a water deficit with glucose more abundant in Yukon and fructose in Shandong leaves. The drought-responsive expression of dehydrin genes RAB18, ERD1, RD29A and RD22 showed greater changes in transcript abundance in Yukon relative to Shandong leaves during both water deficits and recovery with the greatest difference in expression appearing during the second drought. We propose that the initial exposure of Yukon plants to drought renders them more resilient to water loss during a subsequent water deficit leading to delayed wilting. Yukon plants also established a high leaf water content and increased specific leaf area during the second deficit. Shandong plants undergoing the same treatment regime do not show the same beneficial drought tolerance responses and likely use drought avoidance to cope with water deficits.
Cloning and expression of a xylanase xynB from Aspergillus niger IA‐001 in Pichia pastoris

The high‐level expression of the xylanase GH11 gene from Aspergillus niger IA‐001 called xynB was successfully completed in Pichia pastoris. The xynB gene encoding a mature xylanase of 225 amino acid was subcloned into the pPICZαA vector and was transformed into P. pastoris X‐33 under the control of the alcohol oxidase I (AOX1) promoter. The xynB gene was ligated with a sequence encoding modified α‐factor signal peptide (pPICZαmA) and the recombinant xylanase activity, which was measured 1280 U ml−1, was 1.5‐fold higher than when it was inserted into pPICZαA and was 19.39‐fold greater than the native xylanase in the original strain. In a 10 L fermenter, the recombinant xylanase activity measured 10,035 U ml−1 after 114 h. The SDS–PAGE analysis revealed that the purified xynB protein migrated as a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 24 kDa. The specific activity, using beechwood xylan as a substrate, was 1916 U mg−1. The xylanase activity was optimal at pH 5.0 and at 50 °C. In addition, the xynB was active over a pH range of 2.2 to 10.0. The apparent Km and Vmax values were 4.429 mg ml−1 and 1429 U mg−1, respectively.
Algorithmic methods to infer the evolutionary trajectories in cancer progression

Significance A causality-based machine learning Pipeline for Cancer Inference (PiCnIc) is introduced to infer the underlying somatic evolution of ensembles of tumors from next-generation sequencing data. PiCnIc combines techniques for sample stratification, driver selection, and identification of fitness-equivalent exclusive alterations to exploit an algorithm based on Suppes’ probabilistic causation. The accuracy and translational significance of the results are studied in detail, with an application to colorectal cancer. The PiCnIc pipeline has been made publicly accessible for reproducibility, interoperability, and future enhancements. The genomic evolution inherent to cancer relates directly to a renewed focus on the voluminous next-generation sequencing data and machine learning for the inference of explanatory models of how the (epi)genomic events are choreographed in cancer initiation and development. However, despite the increasing availability of multiple additional -omics data, this quest has been frustrated by various theoretical and technical hurdles, mostly stemming from the dramatic heterogeneity of the disease. In this paper, we build on our recent work on the “selective advantage” relation among driver mutations in cancer progression and investigate its applicability to the modeling problem at the population level. Here, we introduce PiCnIc (Pipeline for Cancer Inference), a versatile, modular, and customizable pipeline to extract ensemble-level progression models from cross-sectional sequenced cancer genomes. The pipeline has many translational implications because it combines state-of-the-art techniques for sample stratification, driver selection, identification of fitness-equivalent exclusive alterations, and progression model inference. We demonstrate PiCnIc’s ability to reproduce much of the current knowledge on colorectal cancer progression as well as to suggest novel experimentally verifiable hypotheses.
Educar competencias emocionales en futuros profesores de Educación Física

This study investigated a training experience in emotional awareness through motor games. Ninety-nine degree students in physical activity and sport sciences at INEFC (University of Lleida, Spain) participated in this experience. They received initial training in emotional education and, in the sessions, after each game, the students recorded the perceived emotional intensity. Subsequently, they conducted a self-report of their data and assessed the training received. The results of the analysis of 296 comments confirm that the proposed skills are appropriate for their training in emotional awareness. The learning of these skills is identified as useful for their future professional practice as well as for their personal improvement.
Transferring information from mobile devices to personal computers by using vibration and accelerometer

We propose a simple interaction to transfer information on smart phone to laptop/tablet PCs. We often encounter the situation that we need to send URL, which is preliminary accessed in mobile devices, from mobile devices to personal computers (PCs) to see the web page with wider screen. To support this information transfer, we utilize combination between vibrator in smart phones and accelerometer in laptop/tablet PCs. URL information is encoded to vibration patterns, and the patterns are detected and decoded by accelerometer in PCs. We demonstrate the interaction's efficiency and reasonability with actual products.
High density Cu-TSVs and reliability issues

Reliability issues such as thermo-mechanical stress, extrusion of via metal, and die-cracking caused by high density Cu-TSVs in 3D-LSI Si die/wafer after wafer thinning and bonding have been systematically investigated respectively using micro-Raman spectroscopy, laser microscopy, and optical microscopy techniques. It is inferred that (i) for the TSV pitch value of less than twice the TSV-width, the remnant stress present in the Si at the TSV space region is turned to be only compressive, i.e. in the lateral direction, the compressive stress produced by the adjacent TSVs overlapped to each other; for the TSV pitch values of greater than two times the TSV-width, the compressive stress in the Si at the vicinity of TSV is followed by the tensile stress and beyond that it becomes stress free at the TSV space region; (ii) Irrespective of the TSV shape and size, the lateral extrusion of Cu occurs at the TSV space region. The lateral extrusion becomes prominent for the larger TSV size values and the higher bonding temperatures. The lateral extrusion is larger for the 20 μm-width TSV annealed at the higher temperature (~4 μm @ 400 °C) than for the TSV annealed at lower temperature (a maximum of only 1.5 μm @ 200 °C); (iii) Cracking of LSI die/wafer occurs at the periphery of the TSV array for very fine pitch values, and for larger pitch values cracking occurs in between TSVs.
Plasmonic Nanoparticles and Their Conjugates: Preparation, Optical Properties and Antimicrobial Activity

To manipulate the size of noble metal particles on a nanometer scale are priority subjects in the field of nanotechnology. So far various approaches have been developed to synthesize noble metal nanoparticles in controlled sizes and dimensions. Among them the colloidal systems become broadly used. These systems can be made up of several very different reactants and solvents: a continuous medium water or alkane, surfactant and precursor(s). In some systems the formation of (sub) nanoparticles is based on the supersaturation of solution by reactants. The existence of the microenvironments gives them a particular ability to modulate the chemical reactivity of the reactants due to their compartmentalization in different microenvironments. The size and shape of noble metal nanoparticles follow the feed composition of reactants in the precursor solution, the reaction conditions and concentration and type of reactants. Surface modification and functionalization is expected to increase the stability of nanoparticles and organize them to the assembly of higher order array conjugates. Various soft and hard templates can be applied to produce noble metal nanoparticles in different shaped nanoreactors. Monodisperse gold nano crystals can grow inside soft templates and the cavities of hard templates by the reduction of metal ions trapped in the cavities. The interesting optical properties of noble metal nanoparticles and their (bio)conjugates results from the strong absorption in the visible spectrum region, so called the surface plasmon absorption. Some noble metal nanoparticles have been studied for their antimicrobial potential and have proven to be antibacterial and antiviral agents. *Corresponding author: Capek, I. Slovak Academy of Sciences, Polymer Institute, Institute of Measurement Science, Bratislava, Slovakia and Faculty of Industrial Technologies, TnUni, Puchov, Slovakia. E-mail: Ignac.Capek@savba.sk
Fast UV detection by Cu-doped ZnO nanorod arrays chemically deposited on PET substrate

Well-aligned Cu-doped ZnO nanorods were successfully synthesized on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using chemical bath deposition method. The structural and optical properties of Cu-doped ZnO nanorods were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) UV photodetector was successfully fabricated using high-quality Cu-doped ZnO nanorods. The dark current and photocurrent of the MSM photodetector based on Cu doped ZnO nanorods were 20.5 and 2.22 at bias voltage of 5 V, respectively. Under bias voltage of 5 V, the responsivity of the UV photodetector was. The calculated photosensitivity of the UV photodetector was 107.4 at bias voltage of 5 V. The fast response time (191 ms) and recovery time (261 ms) of the fabricated UV photodetectors were achieved in UV turn-on/off switching measurements.
Panax ginseng Improves Functional Recovery after Contusive Spinal Cord Injury by Regulating the Inflammatory Response in Rats: An In Vivo Study

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in permanent loss of motor function below the injured site. Neuroinflammatory reaction following SCI can aggravate neural injury and functional impairment. Ginseng is well known to possess anti-inflammatory effects. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer (P. ginseng) after SCI. A spinal contusion was made at the T11-12 spinal cord in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 47) using the NYU impactor. Motor function was assessed using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score in P. ginseng (0.1, 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 mg/kg) or vehicle (saline) treated after SCI. We also assessed the protein expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) at the lesion site by western blot and then measured the cavity area using luxol fast blue/cresyl violet staining. P. ginseng treated group in SCI showed a significant improvement in locomotor function after the injury. The protein expression of COX-2 and iNOS at the lesion site and the cavity area were decreased following SCI by P. ginseng treatment. These results suggest that P. ginseng may improve the recovery of motor function after SCI which provides neuroprotection by alleviating posttraumatic inflammatory responses.