Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transmission Characterstics of Chalcogenide Glass Photonic Crystal at Terahertz Frequencies

The band structure of two-dimensional chalcogenide glass photonic crystal of triangular lattice structure is calculated at terahertz frequencies using Plane Wave Expansion Method. The band gap ratio was found to vary with variation of the structural parameters such as fill factor and dielectric contrast. The spatial asymmetry associated with lattice structure gives rise to a complete photonic bandgap having transmission in the terahertz range.
The Emergence of Biological Organization

described as summaries of the progress in each field to date. They are not as painstakingly comprehensive as the classical review but more intelligible for the casual reader. For investigators in these fields, the reviews leave much to be desired, as most reviews do. Nevertheless, they do offer a good list of references and summarize the major advances. The publication is a worthy addition to the literature. PATRICK J. MULROW
Clock Drawing in Alzheimer's Disease

We have tested a simple and reliable measure of visuospatial ability in Alzheimer patients — the Clock Drawing Test. To determine the usefulness of this measure, we asked 67 Alzheimer patients and 83 normal controls to draw the face of a clock reading the time of 2:45. Six independent observers blindly evaluated the results with ratings from 10 (best) to 1 (worst). The mean performance score of Alzheimer subjects was 4.9 ± 2.7 compared to 8.7 ± 1.1 for normal controls (P < .001). Inter‐rater reliability for the clocks drawn by Alzheimer patients was highly significant (r = 0.86; P < .001), and there was relatively little overlap between ratings for Alzheimer patients and normal controls. Furthermore, correlations were highly significant (P < .001) between the mean score of clock drawings and three independent global measures of dementia severity. Although the Clock Drawing Test is certainly not a definitive indicator of Alzheimer's disease, the test is easy to administer and provides a useful measure of dementia severity for both research and office settings where sophisticated neuropsychological testing is not available.
Global maximum power point tracking of PV system using dynamic population size differential evolution (DynNP-DE) algorithm

In this paper, a population-based direct global optimization technique called Dynamic Population Size Differential Evolution (DynNP-DE) to deal with partial shading occurrence is proposed. In this proposed technique, the size of the population is significantly reduced without compromising the robustness of the original DE algorithm. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed MPPT technique, the algorithm is implemented on a boost converter and validated through several partial-shading patterns. Simulation results show that the proposed modification yields faster convergence and capable to handle partial shading conditions.
Dynamic Exercise Attenuates Spontaneous Baroreceptor Reflex Sensitivity in Conscious Rats

In humans, it has been reported that dynamic exercise attenuates spontaneous baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (sBRS), which is an index of the gain of the baroreceptor‐cardiac reflex. We demonstrated previously that endogenously produced NO from endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) within the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), the central terminal site of baroreceptor afferents, depressed sBRS. In this study, we investigated whether eNOS activity within the NTS plays any role in down‐modulating the sBRS during dynamic exercise. In conscious Wistar rats arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) were monitored continuously and chronically using radiotelemetry before and during wheel cage running at 6 m min−1 for 10 min. sBRS was determined by a time‐series method. During dynamic exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) and HR were significantly increased (SBP: 138 ± 2 vs. 125 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.001; HR: 447 ± 6 vs. 362 ± 8 beats min−1, P < 0.001) while sBRS was significantly decreased (0.53 ± 0.03 vs. 1.08 ± 0.08 ms mmHg−1, P < 0.001). In sino‐aortic denervated rats the change in SBP in response to dynamic exercise was significantly larger than that in baroreceptor‐intact rats (denervated: 21.6 ± 2.5 mmHg; intact: 12.0 ± 2.8 mmHg, P < 0.05). In contrast, denervation made no difference to the change in HR. Although disabling eNOS activity in the NTS by adenoviral‐directed expression of a dominant negative mutant form of eNOS increased resting sBRS (1.48 ± 0.20 vs. 1.09 ± 0.15 ms mmHg−1, P < 0.05), the absolute level reached during dynamic exercise was identical to control. These results demonstrate that during dynamic exercise (i) the sBRS decreases around the operating point of the baroreceptor‐cardiac reflex function curve in normotensive rats, (ii) the baroreceptor reflex operates to limit the rise in arterial pressure, and (iii) the attenuation of sBRS is not mediated by changes in eNOS activity within the NTS.
Isolation, expression, and nucleotide sequence of the sod gene from Porphyromonas gingivalis

The sod gene coding for the Mn/Fe-dependent superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme has been isolated on a 5.9-kb DNA fragment from Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 53977. SOD activity can be expressed from the P. gingivalis fragment and from a subcloned fragment in Escherichia coli. However, the enzyme does not appear to be expressed from its own promoter in E. coli cells. The nucleotide sequence of the gene has been determined, and the deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme is nearly identical to that of the enzyme purified from P. gingivalis 381 and shares extensive sequence similarity with comparable enzymes from E. coli.
HLA-DR-presented Peptide Repertoires Derived From Human Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells Pulsed With Blood Coagulation Factor VIII

Activation of T-helper cells is dependent upon the appropriate presentation of antigen-derived peptides on MHC class II molecules expressed on antigen presenting cells. In the current study we explored the repertoire of peptides presented on MHC class II molecules on human monocyte derived dendritic cells (moDCs) from four HLA-typed healthy donors. MHC class II-bound peptides could be routinely recovered from small cultures containing 5 × 106 cells. A fraction of the identified peptides were derived from proteins localized in the plasma membrane, endosomes, and lysosomes, but the majority of peptides that were presented on MHC class II originate from other organelles. Subsequently, we studied the antigen-specific peptide repertoire after endocytosis of a soluble antigen. Blood coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) was chosen as the antigen since our current knowledge on MHC class II presented peptides derived from this immunogenic therapeutic protein is limited. Analysis of the total repertoire of MHC class II-associated peptides revealed that per individual sample 20–50 FVIII-derived peptides were presented on FVIII-pulsed moDCs. Repertoires of FVIII-derived peptides eluted from moDCs derived from a panel of four HLA typed donors revealed that some MHC class II-presented FVIII peptides were presented by multiple donors, whereas the presentation of other FVIII peptides was donor-specific. In total 32 different core peptides were presented on FVIII-pulsed moDCs from four HLA-typed donors. Together our findings provide an unbiased approach to identify peptides that are presented by MHC class II on antigen-loaded moDCs from individual donors.
Integrating an Executive Panel on Communication info an Engineering Curriculum

Communication skills are key to the workforce success of engineering graduates. The Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) Workforce Communication Program at Georgia Tech has successfully incorporated executive panel interaction into its capstone design course to align student skills with executive expectations. The objectives of the panel are to raise student awareness about the importance of communication to workforce success and to gain knowledge about communication skills directly from executives. Executives interact directly with students about workforce communication, career advancement, and the communication skills they consider most critical. The process of assembling and holding a panel is described for potential implementation in other engineering programs.
Nudging Moods to Induce Unplanned Purchases in Imperfect Mobile Personalization Contexts

By tracking consumers’ browsing and purchase history, web personalization generates taste-matched recommendations for each consumer to stimulate purchases. In addition to taste-matching, mobile personalization matches recommendations to a consumer’s physiological need and current location. These two additional features, referred to as need-matching and location-matching, are believed to be enablers of unplanned purchases. However, mobile advertisers may not be able to generate recommendations that meet all personalization criteria. Hence, mobile recommendations may be imperfect. We examine two questions in relation to imperfect recommendations. First, how do we use a descriptor to promote such recommendations? Second, what personalization criterion should be downplayed to induce unplanned purchases? Drawing upon the theory of mood congruence, we theorize that the effect of imperfect recommendation on consumers’ unplanned purchases depends on their mood. We conducted three field experiments to test our hypotheses. Our findings indicate that (1) consumers in positive moods are more likely to form an urge to buy than those in negative moods, and this difference is larger when the descriptor is partial than when it is complete (Experiment 1); (2) need-matching is more influential on urge to buy for consumers in negative moods than for those in positive moods (Experiment 2); and (3) for taste-and-need-matched recommendations, location-matching exerts a stronger effect on the urge to buy for consumers in negative moods than for those in positive moods (Experiment 3). We validated the relevance of our research findings to practice through interviews with senior executives in personalization solution providers. Pathways for enhancing practical impacts of this line of research are recommended.
Demonstration of integrated longitudinal and lateral control for the operation of automated vehicles in platoons

This paper presents the design and experimental implementation of an integrated longitudinal and lateral control system for the operation of automated vehicles in platoons. The design of the longitudinal control system include nonlinear vehicle dynamics, string-stable operation with very small inter-vehicle spacing, operation at all speeds from a complete stop to high-speed cruising, and the execution of longitudinal split and join maneuvers in the presence of communication constraints. The design of the lateral control system include high-speed operation using a purely "look down" sensor system and lane changing without transitional lateral position measurements. We also describes the design of an on-board supervisor that utilizes inter-vehicle communication and coordinates the operation of the lateral and longitudinal controllers in order to execute entry and exit maneuvers. Experimental results are included from the NAHSC demonstration of automated highways at San Diego, CA.
An apparatus and a method for determining the slip resistance of shoes and floors by simulation of human foot motions.

An apparatus to measure the coefficient of kinetic friction (mu k) between the shoe sole and the underfoot surface was constructed, and a method including criteria to evaluate the risk of slipping during walking was developed. The apparatus is a prototype stationary step simulator capable of simulating the movements of a human foot and the forces applied to the underfoot surface during an actual slip, and the drainage capability of the contact surface between the shoe sole and the flooring when different lubricants or contaminants are used. The apparatus consists of a movable artificial foot controlled by a computer with the aid of three hydraulic cylinders. The frictional force (F mu), the normal force (FN) and their ratio (mu k = F mu/FN) are measured with a two-way force platform when the foot slides along its surface. Two separate gait patterns, heel-side (mu k 1) and sole-slide (mu k 2) gait pattern, are used for the evaluations. The method classifies studied shoe, lubricant and underfoot surface combinations into five slip resistance classes according to the measured mu k 1. The slip resistance assessments are specified with some complementary safety criteria, e.g., the ratio mu k 1/mu k 2. The reliability of the developed measurement method was assessed in an international comparison test. According to available results discussed in this paper, our method seems to be valid and the slip resistance measurements seem to be repeatable.
Reliability and validity of the borderline personality disorder severity index.

The psychometric properties and validity of the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index (BPDSI), a semistructured interview assessing the frequency and severity of manifestations of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) during a circumscribed period, were investigated in two studies. In study 1, patients with BPD (n = 15), with other personality disorders (PD; n = 18), and without Axis II disorders (but with Axis I disorders; n = 10) assessed with the SCID were interviewed with the BPDSI (1-yr. version). Patients also filled out a number of questionnaires. A second rater judged taped BPDSI interviews. The BPDSI appeared to yield highly reliable (ICC = .93) and internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha = .85) scores. The BPDSI strongly discriminated BPD patients from other patients, and was not related to other Axis II pathology. Concurrent and construct validity was excellent. In study 2, a version of the BPDSI suitable for use in treatment outcome research was investigated (3-month version) in a sample of 64 BPD patients, 23 Cluster C PD patients, and 20 nonpsychiatric controls. Again, reliability coefficients were excellent (ICC = 0.97; Cronbach's alpha = 0.93), and validity indices were good. Clinical norms were also derived. In a sample of 28 BPD patients, the instrument detected improvement during 6 months of psychotherapy.
Insights from the crystal structure of the sixth BRCT domain of topoisomerase IIβ binding protein 1

Topoisomerase IIβ binding protein 1 (TopBP1) is a major player in the DNA damage response and interacts with a number of protein partners via its eight BRCA1 carboxy‐terminal (BRCT) domains. In particular, the sixth BRCT domain of TopBP1 has been implicated in binding to the phosphorylated transcription factor, E2F1, and poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP‐1), where the latter interaction is responsible for the poly(ADP‐ribosyl)ation of TopBP1. To gain a better understanding of the nature of TopBP1 BRCT6 interactions, we solved the crystal structure of BRCT6 to 1.34 Å. The crystal structure reveals a degenerate phospho‐peptide binding pocket and lacks conserved hydrophobic residues involved in packing of tandem BRCT repeats, which, together with results from phospho‐peptide binding studies, strongly suggest that TopBP1 BRCT6 independently does not function as a phospho‐peptide binding domain. We further provide insight into poly(ADP‐ribose) binding and sites of potential modification by PARP‐1.
Neuroimaging of disorders leading to dementia

Structural brain imaging with CT or MRI should be performed in any patient with progressive cognitive impairment to rule out a reversible cause, such as a benign brain tumor, a subdural hematoma, or hydrocephalus. But imaging can also help separate the various types of degenerative dementia and facilitates the prognosis of these disorders. Medial temporal atrophy is an early finding in Alzheimer disease (AD). Early in AD, metabolism is decreased in the parietotemporal association cortex and retrosplenial region. When these imaging findings are present in mild cognitive impairment, it is more likely to evolve to AD. Amyloid deposition in AD and Lewy body dementia can now be imaged, differentiating these disorders from dementias without amyloid deposition, such as frontotemporal dementia and corticobasal degeneration. Atrophy or the decrease in brain metabolic activity associated with the dementias could be used as surrogate markers of response to new therapies in clinical trials.
Damping Wigglers for the Petra III Light Source

Within the reconstruction of the PETRA booster ring at DESY towards a third generation light source after 2007, damping wigglers will be installed to reduce the emittance to a value of 1 nmrad. Two damping sections in the long straights of PETRA have been assigned to accommodate 20 wigglers in total. The wigglers will be permanent magnet devices with a fixed gap which are surrounded by an iron enclosure to reduce the leakage flux. Each wiggler will provide a damping integral of 4 T2m per segment and generate a synchrotron radiation power of 42 kW. A short one period long prototype has recently been built to prove the magnetic design and study the correction scheme for tuning the pole strength. The wiggler segments will be followed by an SR absorber protecting the downstream quadrupole and successive wiggler segment. The accumulated on-axis power of about 200 kW will be taken up by the final absorber at the damping section end.
Numerical modelling of IPT pad combinations

Inductive power transfer (IPT) has become increasingly popular for various charging applications including cellphone charging and electric vehicles. In order to design the magnetic pads for use with IPT, many individual simulations often have to be performed in order to determine magnetic properties such as the coupling factor and quality factor of the pads with relative offsets. As magnetic systems become increasingly complex with varying sizes and topologies, the number of required simulations increase exponentially and end up taking a significant amount of time. This paper focuses on the EV application and presents a method of reducing the number of required simulations by only requiring the boundary conditions to be simulated and then applied to a numerical model based on an Dagum distribution. Mixed pad topologies of varying sizes are trialled at different heights and displacements. The models are confirmed via practical validations.
Regulating drug release from pH- and temperature-responsive electrospun CTS-g-PNIPAAm/poly(ethylene oxide) hydrogel nanofibers

Temperature- and pH-responsive polymers have been widely investigated as smart drug release systems. However, dual-sensitive polymers in the form of nanofibers, which is advantageous in achieving rapid transfer of stimulus to the smart polymeric structures for regulating drug release behavior, have rarely been explored. In this study, chitosan-graft-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (CTS-g-PNIPAAm) copolymer was synthesized by using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS) as grafting agents to graft carboxyl-terminated PNIPAAm (PNIPAAm-COOH) chains onto the CTS biomacromolecules, and then CTS-g-PNIPAAm with or without bovine serum albumin (BSA) was fabricated into nanofibers through electrospinning using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, 10 wt%) as a fiber-forming facilitating additive. The BSA laden CTS-g-PNIPAAm/PEO hydrogel nanofibers were tested to determine their drug release profiles by varying pH and temperature. Finally, cytotoxicity of the CTS-g-PNIPAAm/PEO hydrogel nanofibers was evaluated by assaying the L929 cell proliferation using the MTT method. It was found that the synthesized CTS-g-PNIPAAm possessed a temperature-induced phase transition and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at 32° C in aqueous solutions. The rate of BSA release could be well modulated by altering the environmental pH and temperature of the hydrogel nanofibers. The CTS-g-PNIPAAm/PEO hydrogel nanofibers supported L929 cell growth, indicative of appropriate cytocompatibility. Our current work could pave the way towards developing multi-stimuli responsive nanofibrous smart materials for potential applications in the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering.
Metabolic Control of Anaerobic Glycolysis (Overexpression of Lactate Dehydrogenase in Transgenic Tomato Roots Supports the Davies-Roberts Hypothesis and Points to a Critical Role for Lactate Secretion

Roots of all plants examined so far have the potential for both ethanol and lactate fermentation. A short burst of lactate fermentation usually occurs when plant tissues are transferred from normoxic to anoxic conditions. According to the Davies-Roberts hypothesis, the consequent pH drop both initiates ethanol fermentation and blocks further production of lactate by inhibiting lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). However, the role of LDH in this pH control mechanism is still a matter of debate. To perturb the control system in a defined way, a barley LDH cDNA under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter was introduced into tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv VFMT) using Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The transgenic root clones expressed up to 50 times the LDH activity of controls. The fermentative metabolism of these clones was compared using roots grown previously in normoxic conditions or roots given a 3-d hypoxic pretreatment. During the transition from normoxia to anoxia, lactate accumulation was no faster and no more extensive in transgenic roots than in controls. Similarly, during prolonged anoxia the flux of 14C from [U-14C] glucose to lactate and ethanol was not modified by the expression of the transgene. However, in both transgenic and control roots, hypoxic pretreatment increased the flux to lactate and promoted lactate export to the medium. These results show that LDH has a very low flux control coefficient for lactate fermentation, consistent with the Davies-Roberts hypothesis. Moreover, they suggest that lactate secretion exerts major control over long-term lactate glycolysis in vivo.
Lack of Th17 Cell Generation in Patients with Severe Burn Injuries

Immunodeficient patients with severe burn injuries are extremely susceptible to infection with Candida albicans. In addition to Th1 cells, IL-17–producing CD4+ T cells (Th17 cells) have recently been described as an important effector cell in host anti-Candida resistance. In this study, therefore, we tried to induce Th17 cells in cultures of severely burned patient PBMC by stimulation with the C. albicans Ag (CAg). In the results, the biomarkers for Th17 cells (IL-17 production and intracellular expression of IL-17 and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt) were not displayed by burn patient PBMC stimulated with CAg, whereas these biomarkers of Th17 cells were detected in cultures of healthy donor PBMC stimulated with CAg. Burn patient sera were shown to be inhibitory on CAg-stimulated Th17 cell generation in healthy donor PBMC cultures; however, Th17 cells were induced by CAg in healthy donor PBMC cultures supplemented with burn patient sera that were previously treated with anti–IL-10 mAb. Also, the biomarkers of Th17 cells were not induced by CAg in healthy donor PBMC cultures supplemented with rIL-10. IL-10 was detected in serum specimens derived from severely burned patients. These results indicate that Th17 cells are not generated in burn patient PBMC cultures supplemented with CAg. IL-10, produced in response to burn injuries, is shown to be inhibitory on Th17 cell generation. The high susceptibility of severely burned patients to C. albicans infection might be influenced if burn-associated IL-10 production is intervened.